


Rifts and Repairs

by Ravensbomb100



Series: Rifts and Repairs [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Fluff and Angst, post volume 5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-03-16 01:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravensbomb100/pseuds/Ravensbomb100
Summary: Team RWBY are headed to Atlas, but a year apart has left its mark on all of them, some scars aren't so easily healed.





	1. Some Friendly Advice

“So...lemme guess. The tall blonde we saw back in the academy...she’s that one person in your team of four you clam up about any time the topic of Beacon’s fall is brought up...” Ilia said casually as she perched on top of the railings of their Atlas bound airship.

Blake stared her down as she tightened the fastens on her long coat. Spending months and months in Menagerie hadn’t exactly done much for her resistance to the cold. Ilia, rather annoyingly, didn’t seem to be fazed by the bitter wind at all, only adding a long brown cloak to her attire Sun had let her ‘borrow’ when they’d parted ways with team SSSN back at Haven.

“Who told you that?” Blake hissed quietly. It had to have been Sun. The two of them had spent a good deal of time sparring together on the boat to Haven after all.

“Nobody,” Ilia said softly, shooting her hands up in innocence. “Well...that’s not, not completely true. You told me, through your speech patterns and your mannerisms. It’s pretty obvious the way you practically shatter when she’s nearby. She must mean a great deal to you.” 

“And yet I still can’t find the damn courage to talk to her one on one,” Blake brooded as she looked towards the living quarters of the airship, indoors and warm. “Instead I’m sitting here talking to you.” 

She could see Ruby and Oscar chatting away through the glass doors and Weiss seemed to be occupying herself with some maintenance on her rapier. She’d been awful quiet since Qrow had told the group where they had to go next. There was no sight of Yang though. She’d actively avoided Blake since they’d got on board. Which didn’t exactly make hashing things out any easier.

“It must be bad then,” Ilia smirked, drawing Blake’s attention back. “If you find it easier to talk to me, the girl that betrayed you and your family, than your team partner.”

Blake couldn’t indulge in her dark humour with the mood she was in at the moment. She’d been so naive to think things could just go back to how they were. “That’s just it, Ilia. You don’t understand. You don’t know what happened between us. It’s...more complicated than I can put into words. More hurt than I ever thought I could bring on a person...”

“Doesn’t sound like the Blake I know,” Ilia assured as she hopped from her perch, sensing that her friend was on the verge of tears. “Definitely not the girl I saw rally a weary group of Faunus to go half way round the world to protect the name of their species. If you can do that, I’m sure you can sway anyone.”

“It’s not about swaying her, Yang,” Blake stuttered. Saying her name still felt like a tonne weight in her throat. Tight, with enough emotion that she could probably choke on it if she tried hard enough. How she missed when saying Yang’s name filled her with warmth and trust, not this deep, deep dread.

“How...how can I possibly undo so much hurt?” Blake whispered as she stared at the wooden deck with misty eyes.

“I don’t know if you really ever can...” Ilia admitted. “What’s done is done. You can’t just undo that hurt. But you can try to repair it, make it better.” The weight in her voice assured she was talking from experience. Ilia gave Blake a gentle nudge in the direction of the living quarters. “And I’m sure talking will be a really good start. A talk with just you two, no team mates, no fretting parents or...or Sun’s. Say what you need to, and make sure Yang lays her cards on the table. No matter how much it hurts. You guys need to know where you stand if we’re going to all work together in Atlas.” 

Blake hated how right Ilia was. There would be severe, maybe even fatal consequences if their team remained fractured because of the distance between herself and Yang. Salem would exploit that weakness like the manipulator she was.

“And what are _you_ going to do with yourself?” Blake asked sharply as she marched over off of the airship deck.

“Help Weiss do some upgrades to her weapon,” Ilia replied with a soft smile. “Who’d have thought it huh? A good Schnee...still not sure I 100% buy it but she has a pretty enough face to keep me amused for a few hours at least.”

Well there was at least some silver linings to having a heart to heart with Yang. Blake wouldn’t have to watch her childhood friend, turned enemy, turned friend again, try to flirt terribly with her present best friend.


	2. Heavy Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Yang have a long awaited talk, but emotional wounds aren't so easily healed.

“Of course you’d leave me with a little present Mercury, you smug asshole,” Yang complained under her breath as she carried out some much needed maintenance to the her robotic limb. Apparently the silver haired idiot had thrown and then smashed the prosthetic with his boots after Yang had left him grasping at thin air. Part of her wished she’d sent him rocketing across the room as she had Nora just for his pettiness.

The relic of knowledge sat to her left on the desk in her room, emitting a strange but somewhat comforting sound every few seconds. Each member of their group took turns supervising the gold lamp, it was never left out of anyone’s sight at any time. They’d worked hard enough to get it back after all.

Yang particularly relished being around the alien object. It was a literal, glowing reminder of her victory in Haven. A victory she’d achieved with nothing but her brain and instinct. It felt good to know that she could still come out on top without physical conflict, since she still wasn’t 100% sure she was fighting fit again.

Unfortunately, the sight of relic was also tinged with sadness. A reminder that Raven had left her again, valuing her life and safety above her daughter’s. Yang had betted on her own mother’s failures as a human being to convince her to leave the relic be.

_Where did you run off to, coward?_

One more quick turn of the screwdriver in her hand and her prosthetic was one whole piece again, until the next time someone decided to throw it around without a care.

“Still scuffed...” Yang sighed as she ran her thumb against a scratched portion of yellow paint. That wouldn’t get fixed until they reached Atlas, but it hardly mattered really, not functionally anyway.

A soft, single knock at the cabin door drew Yang’s attention away from her work. Yang found herself automatically frowning as she made her way to the door, immediately knowing who that knock belonged to. Ruby would slam the door frantically with her fists in excitement and Weiss would hit the door firmly with three sharp knocks, without failure.

That tentative, unsure knock belonged to Blake. There could be no doubt.

Yang pulled the door open with her left arm slowly, meeting a nervous pair of amber eyes on the other side. Blake was gripping the sleeve of her jacket the way she always did when she was uneasy. That was one thing that hadn’t changed.

“Hey,” Blake said through a small smile. It was clear she was struggling to hold Yang’s gaze.

“Hey,” Yang replied quietly, still standing in the doorway as she felt her left hand begin to tremble, and fighting against it with all of her strength. How could this be all Blake had to say?! Just _hey_?. After everything?!

_Calm down. What else was she gonna say to start a conversation?_

Blake glanced at the thin air where Yang’s right arm should have been and then quickly to the desk. “Are you...are you busy right now? I can come back later if that would be better.”

“Come back for what?” Yang said, feeling her throat start to tighten, the back of her eyes starting to burn.

“For you,” Blake said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The only possible answer to Yang’s question.

Her tone took Yang off guard again, the same way it had back in Haven when Blake had surveyed the entire room, but only seemed to have eyes for Yang, only calling out to her. Yang felt herself take a step back, allowing Blake inside and closing the door behind her.

Yang took a seat at the desk, reattaching her arm and flexing her fingers as she watched Blake scan the room quickly, before opting to lean against the wall directly in front of her former partner.

“Is it...is it okay?” Blake asked softly.

“Is what okay?” Yang asked, knowing fine well what Blake was asking about. _Call it what it is._

“Your arm...Ruby said you were doing some repairs,” Blake explained hesitantly. When Yang didn’t answer, Blake swallowed hard, spotting Yang’s lip trembling ever so slightly. The sight of it twisted her guts in a horrific manner.

“Yang...if you’re not ready to talk that’s okay, I promise. We’ll take this at your pace,” Blake assured.

“Nice of you to take me into consideration,” Yang hissed, unable to hide the venom in her tone.

“If you have something to say, then just say it,” Blake said with a tremble. “Don’t hold back. I’m not worthy of that.”

Yang shot to her feet at that and marched towards Blake, pointing a viciously shaking arm at her. Blake cowered back into the wall as Yang’s eyes flashed scarlet.

“OH ENOUGH WITH THE PITY PARTY!!!” Yang yelled at the top of her lungs. “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT! NOT FROM YOU!”

“Yang I’m-”

“-You’re going to let me talk!” Yang shouted as she grabbed at her shaking arm, trying to hold it steady. Blake had back even further away, fear evident in her eyes. The sight of it took Yang right back to that fateful night the bond between them had been severed by a shimmering red blade. She _hated_ seeing Blake scared, especially of her.

That feeling was enough for Yang to at least catch her breath, and inhale deeply. Every part of her wanted to scream at all the pain she still felt ever since that night, at how her heart had been shredded into pieces when Sun of all people confirmed that Blake had run away, had left her. But Yang really didn’t want to terrify the girl in front of either. It was okay to not be okay Yang reminded herself, but it wasn’t okay to shout at Blake and have look at her like she was Adam Taurus.

Besides, Weiss had advised her many times before she inevitably spoke with Blake, that shouting would get neither of them anywhere. Weiss of course had learned from experience that Blake really didn’t respond well to yelling.

“I need to know why,” Yang said firmly as she returned to her chair, hoping that would relax her a little. Blake’s posture eased against the wall.

“Why?”

“Why you _left_ me,” Yang stated sharply.

“I didn’t want to...” Blake began with a pained expression, clearly reliving that night too. “Leaving you like that, it was the _last_ thing I wanted, I swear.”

“But you left all the same,” Yang replied with clenched fists. “Don’t you understand how that felt? The emptiness of it all. I’d never felt so lost. And to do it after everything I told you about Raven, how she’d left without a word. You did the same thing.”

Blake’s eyes widened at that before looking away, guilt etched across all of her features. “I’m sorry, Yang. I’m so sorry. I know that’s not enough, it’ll never be enough to undo all the pain I’ve caused you.”

“It’s not,” Yang agreed firmly before glaring upwards, daring Blake to hold her gaze. She didn’t. “Blake. Blake look at me.”

Blake’s ears couldn’t be bent down any lower. It was at least nice to see them not be concealed by a bow any more. They were almost as expressive as her eyes in a pretty adorable way, a sort understated adorable only Blake was capable of.

Only when Blake actually maintained eye contact did Yang utter another word.

“You still haven’t told me why, I _need_ answers. If you have any intentions of repairing our friendship that is,” Yang said with a pleading expression. Raven hadn’t given her any answers as to why she’d left her as a child, not anything she could truly believe anyway.

“Of course I want to,” Blake replied quickly, though her face was filled with doubt about how much things really could be repaired. “I was...I was trying to protect you, Yang. I’d tried _so_ hard to keep the demons of my past away from all of you, and I let myself believe for a few blissful months that I could actually move on from all that darkness, because of my friends, but most of all because of you.”

Yang could feel tears building again, quickly wiping them away before they could fall. Weiss had been right then, about Blake trying to protect them from her mysterious past.

“And then all my nightmares came true on that night...my past and my future collided, darkness and light...” Blake murmured, her voice growing increasingly hoarse. “And _he_ almost extinguished your light forever...for a few minutes I was convinced he had.” She smiled at Yang then. “But he didn’t, he couldn’t have. Your light burns too bright...plus you’re way too stubborn for any of that.”

Yang felt a small smirk creep across her face then.

“Adam vowed to take away everything I loved that night, and I know that monster too well to take his promises lightly,” Blake continued. “I wanted to put as much distance between myself and my team as possible, and eventually, after wandering for a while I decided I needed to go somewhere I truly felt safe and could think things through, that meant going home, to Menagerie.”

Yang nodded at that. She could at least appreciate Blake’s desire to be with her family for some sort of stability and comfort. Patch had been that place for Yang during her own recovery.

“I don’t blame you...” Yang said quietly.

Blake looked utterly confused at that, with one ear bent sideways.

“For what happened to me,” Yang clarified. “I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you safe. Maybe I might not have thrown myself into the firing line quite so quickly, but losing my arm was nothing compared to the thought of losing you.”

Blake’s confusion drifted away, being replaced with absolute shock for a brief second before a terrible realisation sunk in.

“And I lost you all the same, in a way that I could never have imagined,” Yang grimaced. “Nothing hurt me more than you running away, Blake, nothing in the world. I need you to know that.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know...” Blake murmured quietly.

“If you’d stuck around to ask you might have,” Yang replied sharply before deeply inhaling and exhaling. “I want to trust you again Blake, I really do, but I need time. Some wounds can’t just be fixed up with some fancy tech.”

“I won’t run away again. I swear,” Blake stated firmly. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few months it’s that there’s great power in unity, and that running away has only ever caused me and those around me more pain.”

“I don’t need you to swear to me Blake,” Yang retorted. “Words might hold a lot of power and meaning for you, but I’ve been burned too many times by people talking big and falling short when I really needed them.” She stretched her arms before pointing at the girl across from her. “I need you to follow through with those big vows of yours. You need to stand by your team and friends this time, and come to us for help when you need it, not turn tail when things get rough.”

“I understand,” Blake nodded.

“Just make sure to keep to it,” Yang warned. “The last thing I want is to trust you like I did back then, and for history to repeat itself. I…I honestly don’t think I could take it.” With that Yang stepped towards the door, opening it and gesturing for Blake to go. That was more than enough heavy talk for this entire voyage.

“We’ll speak again soon,” Blake said as she passed, offering another small smile. Her tone suggested it was more a request of Yang than it was a statement of fact.

Yang only had the energy to offer a small nod as she closed the door over, her arm trembling furiously now that Blake had left the room, and tears rushing down her face. Opening up all these lingering emotional wounds was even more painful than she’d feared.

Repairing her relationship with Blake would be more difficult than she had initially anticipated. If it could even be salvaged at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off I'd like to thank all of y'all for your support on the first chapter! 100% has given me the motivation to keep going with this. I've basically at this point planned out the main structure for my take on Volume 6 and I'm excited for what's to come!
> 
> But for now have an angsty Blek and Yangalang chapter! Please leave your thoughts below! I'm still finding my way with this, and really getting to grips with the characters, but I'm having fun too!
> 
> Please leave feedback below!
> 
> Tumblr: yangsmashtrash


	3. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, longest chapter so far. Although actually a short length compare to some monster chapters I used to write regularly in the past. 
> 
> I'd just like to quickly mention my recently created Patreon. There you'll be able to get early access to these chapters before I post them to the public, and those of a certain tier will even be able to send me a prompt and characters of their choosing and I'll write a one shot around it!
> 
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ScottishYang

“News of the battle of Haven will likely already have reached Atlesian shores by airship,” explained Oscar, projecting Ozpin’s voice, as he spoke to a full room of anxious people, growing ever more tense as they neared Atlas airspace.

Ilia feared they’d be shot down on sight, whereas Weiss assured such an extreme response was “unlikely”. They’d bickered about it at length, Ilia using some fairly _choice_ words in regards to the Schnee family that Blake and Yang had both scolded her for at the same time, which was awkward enough in itself.

“They’ll be on high alert, of that I’m sure. Especially given Headmaster Lionheart’s betrayal, and the information he could have been feeding Salem all this time. Qrow’s presence at our victory against Salem’s agents will have reached General Ironwood’s ears by now,” Ozpin continued, sitting in a chair with a demeanour that simply didn’t fit with his physical appearance. It made Blake feel uncomfortable in a way she couldn’t quite describe. “I’ve known the General a great many years, he’s head strong, but certainly not stupid. He’ll want to speak with Qrow about the whole incident urgently, and keep our presence a secret from the council.”

“So we’re just going to announce ourselves??” Weiss questioned in confusion. “I thought we were going to be a little, well-”, Ruby gave her a double thumbs up and a wide grin, “-on the down low...” Ruby awarded her with a firm shoulder pat for that.

“I thought you said the Atlas military shooting us out of the sky was _out of the question_?” Ilia chimed in sharply. Blake sent amber daggers her way, hoping her obvious displeasure would be enough for Ilia to keep her big mouth clamped for a few seconds.

“I said _unlikely_ ,” Weiss hissed as she jumped to her feet, fists trembling. “Ilia Amitola, the next time you choose to misquote me, I’ll be sure you’re the first practice dummy I test my weapons upgrades on.”

“We have nothing to fear from General Ironwood! Nothing to hide! We can trust him to keep our presence in Atlas a secret,” Ozpin said firmly before a fist fight ensued.

“You sure?” Yang questioned, flexing her robotic arm slightly. Her posture was calm, collected. Blake couldn’t help but note how differently Yang carried herself these days. She still radiated strength, there was no doubt of that, but there was an edge of something else to it now. Restraint, clarity. She wasn’t just obeying orders with an open heart the way Ruby did.

“I’d say carting about the relic of knowledge and, I don’t know, Ozpin still being alive and manifesting in a kid might be something we want to keep a bit more secret,” Yang said quickly. “Ironwood made sure I could still fight, he made me this arm, but he weaponised it too. He’s a military man through and through. It that really someone you think we can put all of our trust in?”

“I appreciate your concerns Miss Xiao Long, but I trust Ironwood’s intentions and integrity. He joined my inner circle not for power or glory, but because he truly cared about the future of this world, he recognised the threat, how immediate it was, before many others, including myself,” Ozpin admitted.

“The Atlas military police will be looking for me,” Weiss softly voiced from the back of the room. All eyes turned to face her. Blake had wondered how Weiss had got to Haven in the first place, with Yang in tow apparently. The last she saw of the heiress at the battle of Beacon was Weiss being dragged away by her father and some Atlaseian soldiers.

“I escaped the Schnee mansion. My father lost his place on the Atlas Council not long before I fled, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have significant influence in the Atlas military. The Schnee Dust Company has invested considerably into their tech and soldiers. He’ll have ears everywhere. Especially around the General.”

“Unsurprising,” Ilia groaned under her breath. Blake pinched her arm for that.

“Keep your opinions to yourself for a second,” Blake whispered before releasing her vice like grip.

“Then what do you suggest Miss Schnee? You were raised amongst the upper class of Atlas, perhaps you do have more in the way of first hand experience than myself,” Ozpin spoke calmly, seemingly with a genuine interest in what information Weiss could offer.

“There’s only one person in the whole of Atlas that I truly trust to not inform others of our arrival. To grant us, and more importantly the relic, safe passage until we can assess the situation on the ground and with the council,” Weiss said with a small smile. “My sister, Winter Schnee.”

Qrow furrowed his brows before leaning back in his chair. “Just so happens I have a direct line to the Ice Queen of all Ice Queens. Haven’t used it in years, Winter’s probably forgot I even have the thing, but if we transmit the correct code to her scroll once we’re in range, she’ll answer. Did only use the thing for emergencies after all.”

Ruby side eyed him from the other side of the room before facing her partner again. “Are you absolutely, positively positive that we can depend on Winter to keep our arrival in Atlas secret? She did seem a bit...fiery, the last time I met her.”

“Pretty ironic for an Ice Queen,” Qrow chuckled to himself before swigging some coffee.

“I’m positive. None of you know Winter like I do,” Weiss said firmly, making doubly sure to glare at Qrow as she spoke. “She might not be so obviously affectionate with me as Yang is with Ruby, but she loves me all the same, would lay her life down for me without a second thought. We can trust her. She’s about the only person in Atlas we truly can.”

Blake couldn’t help but smile warmly at Yang then, who luckily wasn’t looking her way anyway, too busy paying attention to Weiss. Ilia on the other hand, had been, giving Blake a very odd look. The same one she did any time a situation had warranted her to talk about Adam Taurus. Blake did her best to ignore it.

“I trust in your judgement, Miss Schnee. We’ll communicate with Winter Schnee, and Winter Schnee alone for the moment, does everyone agree with this?” Ozpin asked softly. He was met with a room full of nods, some more confident than others but a nod none the less. “Good.” He stood up from his chair. “Qrow, I suggest you and Miss Schnee contact Winter. The rest of you prepare yourself for a landing and secure the relic. We can’t let anyone set there eyes on it.”

Weiss and Qrow headed off to the cockpit, whilst everyone else packed away their things. They’d brought a bunch of empty dust crates with them, helping to serve their cover story as traders of highly specialised dust from the mountains of Haven, and just to be doubly sure and changed their outfits into more uniformed attire. Industrial worker’s outfits with the symbol of Mistral emblazoned on the back. They were actual the official janitorial outfit of Haven Academy, but members of the Atlas military would know no better.

“Could you hold this a second?” Yang asked as she attempted to secure the lid of a crate over the relic. She seemed to have been asking her sister, but Ruby seemed to blatantly ignore her. _Strange..._

Blake found herself horrified a fraction of a second later as Ruby bumped into Blake’s side, most definitely deliberately given the force behind it, and sent Blake flying right in front of Yang, who looked at her with wide eyes as she held out a hammer awkwardly.

“What...what did you need help with…?” Blake stuttered, trying to pretend that she’d misheard Yang and thought the golden haired girl was actually asking for her help, not Ruby’s.

Yang seemed to find the whole thing awkward enough that she played along too. She passed Blake a heavy hammer, one that she struggled to hold with two hands, whereas Yang had no problem swinging it about with one. How she’d expected Ruby to hold it up Blake had no idea.

_Guess she doesn’t know her own strength._

“Just hold this while I line this up properly,” Yang murmured as she adjusted the top of the crate. She looked to be struggling slightly operating the fingers in her robotic arm as she tried to grip the lid.

After stubbornly refusing to ask for help for a good minute, Yang finally turned to Blake who was trying her best to not look concerned knowing she couldn’t possibly hide it. They might have been separated for some time, but Blake didn’t care for this girl in front of her any less. If anything she cared more. Watching on helplessly as Yang bled out in her arms on the battle torn streets of Beacon had been the most harrowing experience of her life. It still was even after all the trials she’d faced since.

To have her here now, alive and determined. It stirred feelings that Blake had started to feel rising every time she dreamed about the good times with Yang back in her bed in Menagerie. The warmth they filled her with were almost enough to make the cold of her nightmares worthwhile.

“Sometimes it doesn’t always respond exactly how I want,” Yang explained softly. “Not like my real hand anyway.”

_Real hand..._

“Well...we couldn’t be going to a better place to repair it. Atlas is the most advanced nation in the world after all,” Blake smiled reassuringly.

“Weiss always did like to drill that fact into our heads didn’t she?” Yang replied with a crook in one of her brows. “Advanced in every way except culturally.”

Immediately, Blake knew what Yang was talking about. Neither of them had ever stepped foot in Atlas, but it was widely known amongst her peers in the White Fang to be the most inhospitable in its treatment of the faunus population. If Ilia’s experiences and Weiss’s bigotry when she’d first came to Beacon were anything to go by, this wasn’t going to be a place Blake had much love for.

Blake helped to readjust the lid of the crate, passing the hammer to Yang without a word and holding it in place. Wordless communication had always been one of their strengths as a pairing.

“I’ve never been, but many members of the White Fang came from there, especially the dust mines. If the situation on the ground is the way I’ve been told...it’ll be difficult to stay focused on just keeping the relic safe...I don’t know if I can ignore all of that injustice,” Blake whispered, using her heightened senses to make sure no one else had heard her.

Yang stared at her with wide eyes before placing a firm hand over Blake’s which had began trembling on top of the crate.

“You’re not ignoring it, it’s just not...not the priority,” Yang tried to explain before smiling again. “It’s nice to see you still so passionate about helping the faunus though, don’t get me wrong.” She released her grip on Blake’s hand.

She’d used her robotic arm without a second thought, the cold feeling of it against her flesh had nearly made Blake jump on the spot. She’d resisted thankfully. The last thing Yang needed was for Blake, the girl who’d caused the injury in the first place, to treat it like some alien object.

“Thanks,” Blake replied softly.

“Just stay focused on the mission, okay?” Yang reminded. “The relic of knowledge cannot fall into the wrong hands no matter what.”

“I always did have a habit of getting carried away,” Blake admitted.

“Just don’t make me lecture you again,” Yang chuckled softly. “I don’t have the temptation of a dance to get you back on the right track.”

At times that night had felt like some wonderful dream. So far from the life and the trauma Blake and endured not long afterwards. How she longed for peaceful nights like that again, where all the worries of the world had disappeared as soon as Yang pulled her gracefully onto the dance floor. She’d read about nights like those before, but had never believed she’d get to experience that feeling of euphoria for herself.

Before Blake could make a sly remark in return she was deafened by a booming voice behind them.

“TEAM RWBY MEETING!!!” Ruby exclaimed at the top of her lungs, startling every body present. Weiss, who had been standing right beside her, looked just short of exploding as she massaged her temples.

“Guess that means us,” Yang said as she dragged a slightly disorientated Blake to where the other two were standing.

“Just so everyone is crystal clear, attack combo names are still the same,” Ruby began, with a life in her voice that had been missing of late. “I expect that some of you may be a little rusty in that department, but that’s okay! We’ll be working like a well oiled machine again in no time! Nothing will hold back Beacon academy’s finest!”

“Is that everything?” Weiss groaned as she pull a thick winter hat over her hair.

“Nice hat,” Blake commented dryly. It was way too big for her.

“It’s to cover my hair. Blake Belladonna. I thought you would know a thing or two about disguising things on your head,” Weiss replied sharply.

“GUYS!” Ruby interrupted with a swipe of her arm. “No fighting! No bickering!” Weiss folded her arms. “Weiss...” Ruby’s puppy dog eyes were enough to make the Ice Queen shrug her shoulders in surrender.

“Good,” Ruby grinned with a loud clap. “I want all of you to look out for each other on the ground. No matter what’s happened before, what kept us apart, we all need each other. You know it in your heart. We might not be students anymore, but we’re still a team. We have to move forward together, it’s the only way.”

The seriousness of Ruby’s tone, the sincerity of her words, made the rest of the team nod firmly.

“Okay!” Ruby beamed. “Now GROUP HUG!!!” she shouted before bundling into the other three without a second thought. Weiss pulled at Blake’s side with more desperation than she’d ever seen from her friend. A sign that she was far more nervous about being home than she’d ever allow anyone to think.

When they broke apart eventually Weiss wandered off to stand alone, picking up the case her weapon was held in and staring out of the window as their airship lowered. Seemingly whatever exchange that had occurred between Winter Schnee and Qrow was enough to get them permission to land in Atlas.

“Good pep talk, sis,” Yang grinned as she gave Ruby a playful shove in the shoulder.

Blake watched the two of them interact from the rear of the room, not wanting to intrude. Watching Yang and Ruby together filled her with a sense of peace that she could never put into words.

Sadly that serenity was interrupted a few minutes later when the airship thudded against concrete in landing, quickly followed by the airships main door raising slowly. Icy cold air instantly filled the room, making Blake shiver violently.

They were here then.

Atlas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that one guys! Please be sure to leave your thoughts below, feedback is always appreciated and the best kind of motivation! Thank you!
> 
> Tumblr:yangsmashtrash  
> Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ScottishYang


	4. Good Liars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY's arrival in Atlas doesn't exactly go to plan, and Yang has real questions about Ozpin's intentions.

The biting cold of the air took Yang off guard as she stepped outside. It was hitting her from all sides like piercing daggers, making her desperate to be inside again. She’d never been any place this horrifically cold in all her days, and suddenly Weiss’s icy nature made all the more sense. How could someone grow up here and not end up a bitter-

“Stop right there!” a firm voiced shouted from up ahead.

Yang could feel the beginnings of her semblance kicking in as she caught sight of three soldiers in white uniform, with their hands firmly on their weapons.

Qrow stepped forward, hands in the air. “Easy there, we ain’t here to hurt anyone. We’ve got prestigious dust all the way from the mountains of Haven ‘specially requested by Winter Schnee. We radioed ahead and were given permission to land by Specialist Schnee herself.”

Yang glanced at the cargo they were carrying, knowing full well the only thing they contained were weapons and the relic. She shared a nervous look with Weiss who couldn’t have had her hat further over her head if she tried. Even at this distance Yang could tell she was trembling in place. There was no way the cold was responsible for that.

“Permission or not, we still have to search your cargo. Those are the rules of the lockdown from the council,” the solider retorted as he pushed Qrow aside and began marching towards Weiss who stared downwards.

Yang softly pulled her sleeve up to reveal her robotic arm, getting ready to fire it if things went badly. No one else had any weapons on their person and wouldn’t be able to get them out of their boxes quick enough to use them.

Just before the soldier reached out for Weiss’s cargo Ilia took a defiant step in front of her, stopping the solider from going any further forward.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Ilia warned.

“And why the hell not?” the soldier snarled.

“Don’t you know how volatile this kind of dust is in untrained hands? Your Schnee mined stuff is a lot more stable than what we’re carrying, but no where near as powerful,” Ilia explained sternly.

The solider looked to be wavering slightly as he pulled his hand back a few inches. Ilia pointed to Yang. “Those are the consequences of handling this stuff without being properly trained. Her whole arm was blasted off in an explosion.”

Yang want to shout across the airstrip at Ilia for that, using her disability as part of her lie. Unfortunately there was nothing she could say as the solider backed away from their group and back to his companions. It worked.

_Ilia is a good liar._

“Just keep that stuff away from me,” the solider complained as he swung his arm, beckoning for them to pass. “Specialist Schnee is in that hangar there.”

Weiss gave Ilia an appreciative nod before walking over to Yang. “Please don’t take that exchange to heart. Our entire mission would have fallen to pieces from the start line if she hadn’t convinced them to leave us be.”

Yang sighed, creating a huge cloud of air in front of her head. “I...I guess I just prefer being in control of the situation, fighting my way out if I have too. Not using my trauma as a sympathy card or whatever.”

Weiss patted her on the shoulder before smiling. “As much as I would have loved watching you knock that soldier across the airstrip, I think a more diplomatic approach would be better for now. My sister only wields so much influence and power, there is a limit to how much she can realistically do to help us.”

“What’s diplomatic about lying?” Yang grumbled.

“Everything, Yang Xiao Long. There’s a reason those in power are so good at lying to their people. Just look at Professor Lionheart. How long had he been feeding information to Salem?”

Yang felt bile rise in her throat as she recalled finding his body with Qrow. Whatever did _that_ to him couldn’t have been human. The brutal injuries he’d sustained had made him almost unrecognizable.

Qrow hadn’t seemed phased by the horrific sight whatsoever, covering the man’s body and telling Yang not to go into details about what she’d seen. If Salem was happy to do that do one of her own people, what the hell would she do to her enemies?

“Too long,” Yang shivered, suddenly feeling very sick as she gripped her left arm furiously. She glanced to her friends in front of her and the vastness of the warehouse they were entering, anything to distract her as she felt herself spiralling.

All she could smell was blood, whether it was hers or Lionheart’s she couldn’t be sure. It was potent, suffocating, causing red flashes to obscure her sight. It didn’t take long for the sensation to overwhelm her as searing pain shot down her right arm, causing her to buckle over as her vision went hazy.

The smell of blood in her nostrils combined with the sudden agony in her arm made her want to vomit. Yang tore at her robotic arm, trying to pull it off in an effort to relieve the pain, but her brain was so hazy she couldn’t get a good grip.

“Yang!!” Weiss yelled as she caught her by her front before she slammed into the concrete floor.

Weiss’s voice was joined by a chorus of others calling in concern as Yang slipped forward onto the ground, feeling her vision fade to blackness, trying to fight it seemed futile. Instead she welcomed it, anything to numb the pain.

****

Sterile, artificial lights were all that greeted Yang sometime later as her blurry vision began to ease. She didn’t feel cold anymore. In fact this was the most comfortable she’d felt in days. A nice warm bed without the shaking of an airship or the hum of an engine to disturb her sleep.

This room reminded her of their hotel room in Haven, though the décor was much less warm. Wood and oranges had been replaced by whites and metal, an oil painting of a vast city with snow covered skyscrapers, presumably Atlas, was hung on the wall in front of her.

Yang jolted herself awake when she realized her right arm had been detached and was no where to be seen. Her violent flailing caused commotion at her bedside.

Ruby. Ruby and Blake.

They were fast asleep at her bedside, well they had been, judging by how startled they both look now. Blake’s ears couldn’t have been more upright.

“Yang. It’s okay, you’re safe,” Ruby quickly assured, yawning loudly before she continued. “Well kind of safe, safe as we can be in Atlas.”,

“We made it then…?” Yang half smiled before looking to a window in the room that was covered in snow. They really were here then.

“After you umm, fainted, we brought you to Winter who got us emergency transport right into the city centre, and a pretty nice hotel too. We’ve been here for a few hours and it’s great! They have free coffee with sugar and you can have snow ball fights, it’s so huge Yang you have no idea! Way bigger than Beacon or Haven! Way more advanced! Some of the weapons I’ve seen already are so off the charts cool!-”

“-That’s great Rubes,” Yang smiled going to pat her arm when she realized something was tightly gripping her left hand. Blake stared at her with wide eyes before wrenching her hand away.

“Sorry,” she mumbled quickly before getting to her feet. “I should give you two some space and go see how Weiss is doing.”

“You can stay!” Ruby insisted before looking to Yang with pleading eyes.

“It’s okay, Blake. I don’t mind,” Yang replied.

“I appreciate it,” Blake replied with a tiny smile, it was clear she didn’t feel quite comfortable in the room. “But I should really get going and tell the other’s you’re okay.”

_I’m not okay._

Yang wouldn’t dare say it out loud. Everyone seemed so convinced she was better. That maybe she’d just fainted from exhaustion or whatever, any excuse that avoided confronting the real reason. Someone as unstable as Yang still felt shouldn’t be on such a vitally important mission. If any of them knew how much she was still plagued with nightmares, how loud noises made her blood run cold.

Her trauma hadn’t stopped her fighting or made her any less skilful, but it had made it a hell of a lot harder to keep things together in the heat of a battle.

Only Weiss seemed perceptive enough to know that Yang was still really struggling internally, but even she was clueless to just how bad all of it still was, how it still felt.

“You guys still haven’t worked things out?” Ruby sighed quietly after Blake had gone.

“Blake...everything is just so complicated with her right now...” Yang admitted. “Things won’t just go back to how they were before. Every time I look at her...I can feel this horrible twisting in my gut. That she could leave at any time.”

“You guys were so close back then, nobody made Blake smile and laugh like you,” Ruby replied as she looked out the window.

“That’s why it hurt so much, still hurts so much,” Yang tried to explain. Ruby just didn’t seem to get it. How could she? She’d never had someone betray her. Leave by choice. Summer Rose, Penny, Pyrrha. They’d all been taken from her by someone else’s hands. Not by their own fruition.

Raven had left time and time again. Would Blake do the same?

“I just wish I could do something. As team leader I should be holding us together. It’s my job,” Ruby murmured to herself. Yang could tell she was trying not to cry. “We’re supposed to be a team.”

“Ruby,” Yang said firmly. “Not everything can be fixed.”

Ruby frantically wiped away a tear before turning around.

Speaking of broken things...” Yang murmured as she looked around the room again. “Where the hell is my arm?”

Ruby rubbed the back of her head, unsure how her sister would respond. “Well, since the arm was giving you problems we thought it’d be good to get it looked at and repaired by one of Winter’s soldiers. She was pretty insistent about it.”

“Who said I was having problems with it?” Yang accused. Only one other person really knew that it was malfunctioning something pretty bad.

“No one said, but Mercury kicked it around pretty bad before Blake managed to get it off of him using one of her clones,” Ruby explained quietly, fear evident in her eyes. “And when you were fre – when you passed out earlier, you practically tried to rip it off.”

Yang looked away from Ruby then, feeling a rush of shame at how weak she’d been at that moment, how easily she’d let her panic consume her. In front of everyone too.

“I’m, I’m sorry for scaring you sis,” Yang sighed. “It won’t happen again.”

“It wasn’t scary Yang. It made me worry. Worry that you’re not being totally honest with me, with any of us,” Ruby said with a frown. “Don’t you trust me? Is admitting how you’re really feeling the worst thing?”

“Yes!!” Yang snapped suddenly. She was completely done with this conversation. “It’s the worst thing! It makes _all_ of it real!”

Ruby stepped off of the bed with hands raised. “I’m just trying to help you. Keeping secrets from each other...it’s not good for the team.”

“Maybe show less concern for the team and more concern for the people in that team,” Yang hissed. Team RWBY might have been together physically, but that didn’t mean anything, there were so many unspoken problems and things they were keeping from each other. “Besides,” Yang began, hauling herself out of the bed and feeling the blood rush to her head. “Secrets can’t be that big a deal to you Ruby. You spent _weeks_ with Ozpin before I arrived, and you didn’t think to ask about Summer or your silver eyes once? Ozpin knows the truth, about it all. I can tell. So why would he deliberately avoid the topic?”

“What’s Raven been putting into your head?” Ruby asked, clearly taken aback.

Yang ignored her stupid question. The only thing Raven had done was put some scepticism into Yang’s previously unquestioning nature. “I’ll tell you why. It’s because whatever Ozpin did was so bad, that he knows we’d walk away if we ever found out. We’re pawns to him. I mean, just look at what he’s doing to Oscar.”

“Ozpin is…he’s a good person,” Ruby hesitated, tears lingering at the edge of her eyes. “He’s trying to stop Salem and the grimm, and he needs our help to do it.”

“Salem’s bad news there’s no doubt, but what do we really know about Ozpin’s relationship to her?” Yang stated plainly, seeing that Ruby herself was starting to look doubtful. “Who was it that told you about your silver eyes, Ruby? Because it wasn’t Ozpin was it? It was Uncle Qrow.”

Ruby seemed to be lost for words.

“Just don’t eat up everything he says like a bowl of cookies,” Yang warned firmly as she pushed past Ruby to leave the room.

“Where are you going?” Ruby asked, her expression remarkably more conflicted that Yang had ever really seen her.

“To find my damn arm,” Yang mumbled. “Before Winter paints it white and blue.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> Long time no chapter! There's been a couple of reasons for this. The last few months have been crazy. I lost my job at the end of feburary unexpectantly and had been struggling for a while. Luckily, in the last few weeks things have really turned around and I've got a dream job, related to my actual university degree, so I'm doing a lot better mentally and money wise.
> 
> Hence I guess just a lot more motivated, and so I've been writing again and hope to keep to a more regular schedule. I'm not promising weekly posts or anything, but lets just say I'm in the right headspace to want to be writing again, so it shouldn't be too long until chapter 5 is out.
> 
> Thank you for your support! Reviews and kudos are always apperciated! 
> 
> Tumblr: yangsmashtrash


	5. A Stark Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter Schnee confronts the group on their plans, whilst Blake discovers the true extent of inequality in Atlas.

Winter Schnee was as stuck up as Blake had recalled, made even more so than before. There didn’t seem to be any cracks of warmth in her cold exterior. Clearly, her icy personality hadn’t been able to thaw anything close to how Weiss had changed recently.

“You want to speak to General Ironwood?” Winter exhaled as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “But you won’t tell me why you’re here. Something important isn’t a good excuse. I need details before I set up this meeting.”

“I must speak with Ironwood urgently,” Ozpin interrupted before Qrow and Winter started arguing again. He was sitting upwards in a chair, hands clasped, shoulders standing tall. The importance with which he carried himself jarred strangely with his youthful appearance.

_The Man with Two Souls._

“And I’m supposed to listen to a child? Winter gasped incredulously. “A child who speaks with such arrogance and sense of entitlement no child should have, yet you people won’t tell me who he is, where he came from, or why I should waste another second listening to him?”

Yang looked from Oscar to Winter with a strange expression, her posture closed off with arms folded tightly. This ongoing silence was so far from the loud mouth Blake had slept below every night in the academy. She couldn’t help but wonder if Yang still snored at night.

Weiss stepped in front of her sister, reaching up to place a hand on her shoulder. “If you can’t trust him or anyone else, at least trust me. We’ll tell you everything once we’ve spoken to General Ironwood, I promise. We’ll need your skills and experience in the battles to come, you can be sure of that.” 

“Father is furious with you,” Winter stated before shaking her head. “He’s had men looking for you throughout the city. They almost found your trail, before I steered them in the opposite direction. Atlas is not a safe place for you Weiss. It’s not your home anymore.”

“Is never was,” Weiss replied firmly, briefly glancing to Ruby, Blake and Yang. “But I’m not afraid anymore. There’s more important things at stake than the Schnee Dust Company, the Council or the Academy. Please, we need to speak to General Ironwood.”

Ilia, who had been standing at Blake’s side for most of this meeting, raised a surprised eyebrow at Weiss’s statement before nodding ever so slightly.

Winter exhaled heavily, sharply glaring at Qrow for a brief second before locking eyes with Weiss again. “I’m glad you’ve finally found a true home,” she smiled with what could almost be described as warmth before straightening her posture once more. “If I arrange this meeting with the General…”

“We’ll be forever in your debt,” Ozpin nodded before leaning forward in his chair. “And doing the people of Atlas and humanity a great service.”

There was a strange glint in Winter’s eyes at his word choice, the cogs visibly turning in her head. She’d figured out who the boy in front of her actually was, Blake had no doubt.

“I won’t pretend to know what unnatural event has occurred here,” Winter said, making no effort to conceal her disgust. “Regardless, I will set up an off the record meeting between you and the General tomorrow evening. Don’t dare waste his time or mine.”

“Thank you, Specialist Schnee,” Ozpin replied.

“Oh you won’t be going alone, I won’t have it,” Winter retorted sharply. “My sister and her team mate Yang Xiao Long will also be in attendance as witnesses.”

“I’d be happy to-” Qrow said.

“No! No you won’t be Branwen. I’m sure your niece and my sister are more than adult enough to take your place,” Winter snapped. 

“-That’s fine,” Weiss confirmed quickly, giving Ozpin a sympathetic glance before looking to Yang. Yang nodded to Weiss and then signalled off to Winter with her freshly polished arm.

“Please keep yourselves to yourselves until then. You’ll have access to all of the hotel facilities in the mean time,” Winter explained as she walked towards the door. She indicated with a wave of her hand for Weiss to follow her outside.

****

Blake watched on in some amusement as Ilia scaled up a wall in the hotels gym with ease before perching herself up at the top with a bottle of water. Blake was more interested in tightening up her footwork, dancing from one end of the room to the other with as much precision as she could manage, channeling some of her inner Weiss in the hopes in would help her improve.

Fighting with Mercury back at Haven when he’d stolen Yang’s prosthetic limb had given her a big scare in how rusty she’d gotten since leaving Vale. In the battle at Haven she’d exhausted her aura much quicker than usual, unable to use her semblance against Mercury when he’d came at her fiercely with some wide swings. He would have gotten the better of her too if Ruby hadn’t been there to back her up.

“Having fun up there?” Blake commented breathlessly as she weaved around a punching bag with Gambol Shroud. She had to stop relying so heavily on her shadow clones in combat.

“After being cooped up on an airship and now this hotel? Yeah, I needed this,” Ilia exhaled happily as she turned to look out the window she was against. The blizzard that had been brewing outside for the past few hours had finally abated.

Blake smiled at how much this reminded her of the old Ilia back in the early days of the White Fang.

“Hey, you’re a cat, why aren’t you climbing up here with me?” Ilia teased.

“You know fine well that doesn’t mean I want to climb things,” Blake replied as she tried to regain some composure. Everyone else seemed to have gotten stronger in their time apart. Weiss especially. _Have I fallen behind them? What if I’m a burden in combat now?_

“I know, I know. Such assumptions of faunus behaviours are inflammatory and derogatory,” Ilia grinned mischievously. “But between us I’m sure it’s fine.”

The way Ilia spoke was so far from Adam’s rhetoric of fire and blood at the smallest slight that Blake couldn’t help but wonder how he’d managed to influence Ilia so strongly to the point she had almost handed her over to that monster. _Hypocrite. You were taken in by that devil’s charm just the same._

Blake didn’t have the mind to respond, trying to beat back thoughts of Adam and of Yang, of that night almost a year ago now, where hatred and malice had clashed with pure rage. Blake had been so sure she’d gotten Yang killed when the girl slammed into the concrete just behind her, lying in a pool of her own blood.

That haunting memory was enough incentive for Blake to stay away regardless of how many times she thought about turning back. She’d almost stepped off the boat that would take her south several times before it departed but nothing could have truly stopped her, with the exception of Yang herself begging her not to leave. _I robbed her of the opportunity to do that._

A heartbeat later and Blake stumbled over her own leg, landing with a tremendous thud as Gambol Shroud clattered to the ground a few meters away.

Ilia was down from her perch in a flash and helping Blake up to her feet.

“Wow...you okay? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you miss a beat with your fighting style before,” Ilia asked with wide eyes.

Blake brushed her off. “It’s fine. Just too much time spent on the airship, like you said. My footwork is a bit rusty as a result.”

“Uhuh...” Ilia replied with a concerned look. “Well...I guess at least you messed up in here, and not out in the heat of battle.”

“Yeah...” Blake nodded as she walked to retrieve her weapon.

“But if something is bothering you, you know I’m happy to listen,” Ilia said warmly.

Blake couldn’t help but smile at that, but there was no way in hell she was going to list off everything that was giving her concerns. It was a testament to how rocky things were with Yang at the moment that she was more worried about how their relationship would be going forward than this world ending threat that Salem and her henchmen posed.

Blake did her best to change the topic of conversation to anything that didn’t involve the mess of emotions that she was plagued with at the moment.

“So how is it? Being back in Atlas?”

“Well it’s been a few years,” Ilia replied, looking out the window again at the skyscrapers outside. “I didn’t grow up in this part of town, but I know it pretty well. I used to go for drinks with some of my team back at the Academy here after class. There was this one bar I remember that seemed pretty open to faunus cliental, which is pretty rare in this area. Guess it was too good to be true…”

“What happened?” Blake asked with a tight throat.

Ilia leaned back against a nearby wall, arms tightly crossed. “Turned out the owner was planting fake White Fang recruitment propaganda on faunus customers and tipping them off to the authorities as terrorists. The police sold those _criminals_ to the Schnee Dust Company for mine work as a community service. Slave labour. Most of them died in those mines before completing their sentence. The bar’s owner must have been getting a cut of the profits.”

“That’s terrible...” Blake replied, feeling her throat tighten even more. “Didn’t anyone ever do anything about it?”

Ilia laughed at that incredulously. “Blake Belladonna...you’ve got a lot to learn about Atlas. It isn’t like the rest of the world. White Fang activity is limited here, even the smallest activity if discovered is punished harshly. The movement is fractured here. Any protests have been quickly snuffed out, even in areas where the faunus have dominance, the upper class of Atlas have influence. They pay faunus to spy on faunus, and let them think they have some freedom and say on things. After a few months of rioting here the Atlas upper class gave the faunus the right to vote in the elections for the council, but it was all for show. The voting was rigged in favour of a faunus representative who was simply a mouth piece for the rest of the council. Nothing changed, people were just tricked into thinking things had.”

“I guess Adam wasn’t completely exaggerating the state of affairs here,” Blake sighed. What a mess. How would they ever be able to fix things?

“No, he wasn’t,” Ilia stated firmly before looking at Blake intensely. “You did a great job in Haven and Menagerie, now the people of Atlas need you.”

“What are you suggesting?” Blake asked anxiously. She didn’t like where this was going.

“Lets not spend the next 24 hours stuck in here with the rest of them. We could scout around the neighbourhood and assess the situation on the ground. I bet that bar is still in business,” Ilia smiled, determination burning in her eyes.

“That’s...that’s not a good idea, we need to wait and see what Ironwood has to say,” Blake warned.

“We don’t need to do anything. It’s just a reconnaissance mission whilst we aren’t doing anything else useful,” Ilia argued, her tone staunch. There would be no talking her down it seemed. “Besides, we can blend in like anyone else. We just need to put a hat on your pretty head.”

“I don’t think this is-”

“Blake. There’s only one way to understand the shoddy state of affairs here, and that’s to see it with your own eyes,” Ilia stated firmly. “Ghira Belladonna never set foot in Atlas, he couldn’t fix what he didn’t understand.” 

Blake knew fine well why her father hadn’t come here during his time as the leader of the White Fang. Atlas was more dangerous for him than anywhere else in this world. Risk of assassination was extremely high for a such a notable faunus figure. The Albain brothers and her own mother had warned against in many times when she’d been growing up.

“Are we going to bring any of the others?” Blake asked.

“Probably best to keep them out of it for just now, like I said it’s just reconnaissance. Besides, short range communication over scrolls is operational in Atlas if we end up needing them,” Ilia explained with an excited gleam in her eyes.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby in 20 minutes,” Blake stated plainly as she slung Gambol over her shoulder. 

“Roger that,” Ilia beamed as she run off out of the gym.

**** 

There was a harsh beauty to Atlas that Blake couldn’t help be consumed by as she walked close to Ilia. Snow was falling lightly and the wind was bitter, but it didn’t stop any of the locals from wandering around outside, not phased by the harsh conditions.

“These buildings? Who lives in them?” Blake asked as she pointed to the skyscrapers towering above them. She couldn’t comprehend living so high up.

“Atlas upper class,” Ilia stated plainly. “No one else could afford them. They’re like mansions on the inside. For a while building corporations competed with each other to see who could build the highest one.”

Blake stopped to examine an unnatural gap between two of the skyscrapers. “For a while?”

“Their little race ended up with a bunch of dead faunus workers,” Ilia answered bitterly before pointing to a small stone a few meters in front of them, names engraved into it. “This is what they got in return for all their hard work,” Ilia hissed before moving on.

The memorial stone clearly hadn’t been tended to in a while, damaged in some places with some vandalism that obscured some of the dozens of names.

What a terrible irony. These monstrous skyscrapers stood as a status symbol to the elite of the city, while those who’d died helping to build them were given nothing but a shattered stone to mark their significant contribution.

Blake felt a tear falling down her face, made more prevalent by the icy wind against her face. She quickly wiped it away and followed Ilia to a less foreboding looking area of the city. She couldn’t prevent the way her stomach churned at the thought of all these dead faunus, killed for no good reason whatsoever, a reminder that some version of the White Fang was still needed in this world. It made her furious that this sort of needless slaughter still went on in some places.

“Down here,” Ilia called up ahead. Blake jogged a little to catch up, finding her friend in a narrow street full of people shopping and drinking hot beverages. Workers of the city on their lunch break. Blake weaved through them, noting the presence of some uniformed, well armed individuals placed in different areas of the street. She didn’t recognise the outfit at all.

“That’s police, not military,” Ilia muttered quietly. “Make that distinction now, it might just save your life. The police and military don’t have much love for each other. Ironwood rooted out political and financial corruption within his ranks, the city police force is still rife with it.”

“Noted,” Blake replied softly.

Where would they even begin with all of these social problems? If the world was truly about to come to an end because of Salem and the Grimm then all of these issues were a mute point really...still it was hard to overlook something that was so tangible when compared to a looming threat Blake still wasn’t sure she really believed in. Yang especially seemed somewhat skeptical about the whole thing, though her real concerns appeared to be more with Ozpin than anything else.

“Here,” Ilia said at her ear suddenly, carrying a bag with two steaming cups. “I thought you might want some tea to warm up. Plus that place does really nice donuts. At least I hope they’re still good.”

“Thank you,” Blake smiled. The warmth of the tea was a blessing against her very numb hands. “Where are we heading anyway?”

“No where particularly,” Ilia said. “I just wanted to get a lay of the land, see how things have changed round here.”

“Have they?” Blake asked as she admired an impressive book shop across the road, with books piled up to almost the top of the window. She’d need to stop by there properly sometime.

“Not really, there’s more police for sure,” Ilia stated plainly. “The shops and the people haven’t changed much. Still cold, unwelcoming, keeping to their own business.” _Sounds like Weiss when she first came to Beacon._

Eventually the busy street came to an end, the well presented store fronts and clinically dressed citizens gave way to metal shutters covered in graffiti and people in shoddy clothes that were hardly fit for the cold conditions.

“Is this where you and your friends used to go?” Blake asked, noting as they walked that the majority of people here were faunus of some description. She wanted to offer them all a room back in the hotel desperately, but Winter would absolute not have that. She’d be even more irritable.

“ _Classmates_ , and yes, down this way,” Ilia replied sharply. “It wasn’t this bad before though. I wonder if closing the borders has caused this.” Closing your borders off to the rest of the world? Yes. It was bound to have had some impact on the movement of the population to more urban locations.

Blake had to stop herself when she spotted what had to be a family slumped up against a slightly more sheltered wall the snow hadn’t quite penetrated. They were huddled together for warmth and didn’t pay her any notice as she approached.

“Ilia, give me that,” Blake gestured, before pulling the bag out of her hands. It wasn’t exactly nutritious but at least they were warm. She crouched down in front of them, holding out her tea and the bag. “Excuse me, umm…would you….like this food…?”

It took a while for any of the group to respond. The largest of the group, a bull faunus by the looks of him and presumably the father looked up, his expression went from weary to furious in a heartbeat.

“Get away human!” he roared with a strength that Blake hadn’t thought possible given his slim physique.

Blake almost dropped the tea as the man took a swipe at it before he scrambled to his feet with some difficulty, his family watching on with wide, fearful eyes. The venom in his voice shook Blake to her core, wanting to rip the hat off of her head and reveal that she wasn’t the enemy.

_Not a good idea._

“I’m – I’m not trying to hurt you I promise,” Blake tried to reassure as she took a step back, feeling Ilia at her side. Blake lowered the bag and the tea down in front of her and took another step back. “I’m just going to leave this here and be on my way...”

“Think I’d fall for that human?” the bull faunus argued back, his stance aggressive and desperate. “I know what you people do. You put all sorts of nasty things in some nice smelling food to kill us off one by one, just so you won’t have to look at us cluttering your street. It’s easier than putting a gun to our heads, blame it on the cold weather.”

_Who the hell would do something so horrible?_

“Time to go,” Ilia warned, glancing around the narrow alleyway to see that more of the people gathered here had started to move in their direction at its centre.

“Right,” Blake muttered softly as they made a break for the end of the alleyway and into a large courtyard with a fountain frozen at its centre. Blake chanced a quick look around to see if any of the other faunus had given chase. The exit of the alleyway was empty.

“This is what I meant,” Ilia gasped as she came skidding to a halt at the fountains edge. “You have to see it to believe it.”

Blake nodded. Atlas was worse than she could have ever imagined. All of the things Adam said about here were true. Something had to be done about it. But who would agree to help? There was no unified White Fang presence here, Qrow and Ozpin wouldn’t be interested, more concerned with Salem and the relics than anything else. 

Weiss…Weiss had spoke about wanting to undo past wrongs, to reform the Schnee Dust Company, and Ruby would basically do anything that helped people. Yang though...Yang had warned her against getting involved with faunus affairs before they’d finished what they’d came here for. She wouldn’t agree to it, not yet.

“We can’t do anything about it right now, Ilia,” Blake explained. “It’s terrible, I can see that now, I’ll do everything I can to fix things, but now is not the time. We need support from at least some of the upper class of Atlas, people that the General  & Weiss can help us get on side. We can’t fight a war on two fronts.”

“Why not?” Ilia argued firmly. “How many more faunus have to die here for you to get it?!”

“More will die if we don’t think this through properly. If things are going to change we have to make sure it’s a permanent fixture. For that we _need_ people with influence,” Blake replied with conviction. “Look how many people died in Adam’s revolution needlessly because he didn’t try to do things in cooperation with other people, he didn’t try and reason with humanity.”

Ilia exhaled heavily before shrugging. “Fine...if you really think it’s for the best.”

“I do,” Blake nodded.

Ilia began walking off in the opposite direction they’d came.

“Where are you going?” Blake called across the courtyard.

“To get something to drink and eat before we go back to that prison, this weird thing happened where I lost my lunch,” Ilia replied with some snark. “You’re welcome to join.”

Blake wanted nothing more than to go back to the warmth of the hotel, away from all this horror. She needed time to think. However, there was also no way in hell she was going to leave Ilia to her own devices either, especially on an empty stomach. Instead she followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks!
> 
> Back again with a big chapter for you! Biggest so far too! I think that I'm going to stick to larger chapters than shorter more regular updates. It gives me a chance to really put a lot in each chapter plot and world building wise. Plus fixing all that White fang, faunus inequality in the show you never freakin see. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed that one anyways! I know there wasn't much Yang/Blake this time around, but I like to take my time with these things. If you've read any of my other stuff you know i'm a slow burner with everything including world building and all that. I like to have a juicy plot as well as all that romantic junk! 
> 
> Check you my tumblr if you wanna keep up to date with progress and what not: yang-smash-trash
> 
> Leave me some feedback and kudos, it's always appreciated!


	6. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Weiss arrive at Atlas Academy to speak with General Ironwood, whilst Ilia and Blake run into some complications in the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just quick note before this chapter begins, when you see this ------ it means a switch in character POV, this **** means time skip. 
> 
> Thank you and enjoy!!!

“Feeling better now?” Blake questioned as she watched Ilia demolish the food she had ordered before they’d even sat down at a table. 

“Much,” Ilia muttered between bites, glancing over Blake’s shoulder and then back to her food. 

Blake felt her stomach rumble loudly at all of the smells wafting around her, but she couldn’t bring herself to buy the fish stew that made her eyes light up. It simply didn’t feel right to gorge, knowing the shoddy state of affairs her kin faced out in the cold. Hunger pangs didn’t compare to the twisting pain she felt every time she thought about all the horror the faunus faced in Atlas.

“Sure you don’t want some?” Ilia offered. “You might have got my other lunch turned into gutter food, but that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to share.”

“Ilia...just leave it...” Blake sighed as she rubbed her temples. The icy conditions made it hard to think. “I just want to go back to the hotel before someone notices our absence.”

“You think they will?” Ilia swallowed hard, looking past Blake again. “Humans have a nasty habit of overlooking faunus, especially when it’s convenient. I’m sure none of them will have even noticed we’re gone.”

Humans? They were her friends. When would Ilia get that through her skull? Clearly, the girl was still wrestling with her old beliefs more than Blake had realised. Given time, Blake was sure Ilia would see the good in them, just as Blake had back in Beacon. Even in people like Weiss, who should have been the epitome of everything that the faunus despised.

“You also have a nasty habit of overlooking things,” Blake chastised as she knocked Ilia’s fork out of her grip swiftly with her right hand, then catching it with her left. Ilia glared at her from across the table. “Maybe now you’ll actually look at me instead of glancing over my shoulder like there’s some terrible Grimm behind me.”

Ilia leaned back in her chair, pointing with her knife. “There might as well be.”

“What are you...” Blake asked anxiously as she turned around her head around as subtly as possible. A slender man in full suit and tie was talking away amicably with some of his patrons, the majority of which were faunus, at the bar area. Blake hadn’t noticed him when she came in, which would have been incredibly hard since he appeared to be the only human here.

That’s why she’d figured Ilia had chosen this place in the first place.

“It’s him,” Ilia hissed from behind Blake’s head.

“Who?”

“The bastard I told you about. The one who planted fake White Fang documentation on faunus customers. He’s still in business,” Ilia said bitterly. Blake spun back around as she heard Ilia get to her feet.

“Ilia. I told you not to get involved with any of this now,” Blake argued quietly, grabbing Ilia’s arm to stop her. “Coming here wasn’t an accident, was it?”

Ilia shook her hand away. “It was. His business wasn’t here. He must have moved his operations when his old place became to obvious a sting to get faunus busted by the city police. He barely even looks like the same man, much slimmer, facial hair, but I’d never forget those false smiles.”

“Ilia, you need to calm down,” Blake warned as she stood up to block her. “He’ll still be here when we’re ready to deal with all of this later, clearly the mans a cockroach if he still lives and works in the area. He’ll stick around.”

Ilia shook her head furiously, but she didn’t try to move any further forward. “Fine, lets get-”

“Lets what?” Blake asked in concern, her heart pounding as she saw Ilia’s eyes widen, brows furious. _Oh no..._

“He’s still doing it. I just saw him slip some papers into their pockets,” Ilia practically snarled. “I’m going to knock all of his teeth out so that he can’t deceive people with that smile anymore.”

“Ilia!” Blake snapped as Ilia barged past her, knocking Blake into the table as plates crashed everywhere, her hat flying off in their struggle.

“If you don’t calm down I’ll have to ask you both to leave,” the owner stated in a sickeningly polite manner, trying to keep the customers at the bar calm. All of whom were staring at Ilia as she marched forward, hand reaching down to her belt.

Ilia laughed loudly as she pulled her weapon from her hip, pointing it at the owner. “You might have lost some weight, buddy, but that smile of yours still makes my skin crawl. I never forget a face.”

“Who are you?” he asked, there wasn’t a hint of anger in his voice. Blake wrenched herself upwards and tried to pull Ilia back by the shoulders.

“It’s not too late to walk away,” Blake urged desperately.

“Yes it is,” Ilia stated plainly. 

The bar’s owner had used their momentary argument to move to a more defensive position behind the bar. His patrons were still rooted to their seats as they watched Ilia’s skin shift to a bright red.

“Check your pockets,” Ilia ordered, raising her weapon again.

The faunus gathered at the bar looked in confusion amongst themselves, and then back to Ilia, rifling through their pockets as they held her gaze.

Blake felt her blood run cold as three of the four faunus sat at the bar pulled out a folded piece of paper, she’d didn’t need to be very close to see Adam Taurus’s face plastered all over it, still a figure of fear and human venom in most corners of the world.

“He was trying to get you arrested by the city police for terrorism and White Fang affiliation, he’s done it to dozens and dozens of faunus in this city,” Ilia explained.

“There, they’ll tear that monster to pieces Ilia, you got what you wanted,” Blake stated grimly. “We need to go.”

The four faunus turned to the owner, who has disappeared under the bar. Blake felt her cat ears twitch as she heard a very slight clicking sound in the distance. _A gun._

“Everyone down!!!” Blake yelled as she whipped gambol out from over her shoulder and darted in front of Ilia.

\----------------------------

The long drive to Ironwood’s main office with Weiss, Ozpin, Winter and a few of Winter’s soldiers had been Yang’s first real chance to take in the sights of Atlas with her own eyes. After all she’d been unconscious from the airstrip to the hotel they were staying in.

It’s architecture was of a complexity level that was difficult to comprehend. Beacon  & Vale had blown her mind too when she’d first saw the place, but this was something else entirely. The shear height of some of the towers they were driving past was a little frightening. The CCT back at the academy looked small in comparison.

Everything ounce of this setting was harsh and unforgiving, from the forlorn expressions of its citizens as they battled the snow, to the way the buildings looked ready to tumble over at any second, such was their considerable height.

“I can’t believe you grew up here...” Yang said softly.

“Cold & Icy?” Weiss smiled from the seat beside her. “Is your brain so lacking in imagination that it’s a stretch to think the _Ice_ Queen would come from such a place?”

Yang couldn’t not laugh at that. When had Weiss picked up sarcasm so well? “I suppose so.”

“I’ll admit you’re not completing wrong, Yang Xiao Long, I didn’t exactly grew up here,” Weiss explained as she pointed out the window. “The Schnee Manor is in the far west of the city, partially built into the mountains. I didn’t spend much time away from there.”

Yang nodded sympathetically. Usually she’d have made a comment about how things couldn’t have been that bad, getting to spend all of her days as a kid living in a huge house, much too big for all the people that lived there. It didn’t matter how much space Weiss had to practice singing for shows or to train, all those empty rooms meant for a very lonely existence.

“Sounds like a fortress,” Yang sighed.

“A prison,” Weiss replied sharply.

Winter made no comments from the front of the car, focusing on the road ahead, or at least pretending to.

Yang wouldn’t have traded her warm house in Patch for all of the space in the world, but even there, with all of the brightly coloured furnishings, pictures of a smiling family and freshly potted flowers in every corner, things could get incredibly lonely too.

_I wonder what dad is doing..._

“We’ll be there soon,” Winter advised as they pulled into a complex of buildings that were a stark contrast to the rest of the city’s architecture. The walls here were made of stone that ranged in colour, some blue, some white, some black, shades of grey, dependant on how light hit it.

“Is this Atlas Academy?” Yang smiled. This place was actually prettier than Beacon. Which she hadn’t really thought possible until now.

“Yes,” Weiss confirmed as the car came to a halt on the edge of an empty courtyard in front of the Academy building.

“Amazing, is it not?” Ozpin commented as he stepped outside, cane in hand. _Guess Oscar’s not going to get in a word at all today._

All Yang could do was nod as she stuck close to Weiss, noting the lack of students on campus. “How come you never came here?” Yang asked as she tapped her shoulder. “It might just be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I thought that was Blake Belladonna...” Weiss said in such a quiet tone that Yang was sure that hadn’t been something Weiss had meant to say out loud. Yang felt her cheeks go flush immediately, though she wasn’t quite sure why that slip of the tongue had made her blood feel on fire.

Weiss too looked quite embarrassed, coughing before continuing. “I was trying to say that the reason I never came to the Academy was that my father wouldn’t allow it, Ironwood holds the power here, and the two have never quite saw eye to eye. I had not intentions of coming here anyway, Beacon was always my target, far away from my family.” Weiss gestured for Yang to sit beside her at a colossal frozen statue in the centre of the courtyard as Winter organised her men.

“But I made my father believe that Atlas Academy was where I wanted to go, so that inevitably he would say no, and I could push the case for Beacon Academy a little easier, if I appeared to be willing to compromise, then my father had too as well,” Weiss explained. “He gave me a seemingly impossible challenge. I was to fight an armoured Grimm creature he’d bought from one of his business associates, Arthur Watts, if I was victorious, I would be allowed to go to Beacon.”

“Your knight?” Yang asked.

“The very same,” Weiss smiled slightly. “I trained for days on end, for a concert my father was throwing and for the battle. Sometimes at the same time.”

“I would love to see that!” Yang couldn’t help but gush. “You need to sing on the battlefield more often, rally the team!”

“Over your dead body, Xiao Long. I’d attract every grimm in the area,” Weiss teased as she barged Yang’s shoulder gently. “When the eventual confrontation came, I was willing to put everything on the line to win. I used every skill I’d ever learned, wiped out my dust supply, but I won, this scar was more than worth the price of getting to go to Beacon.”

“I always did wonder where that had come from,” Yang admitted as she rubbed the back of her head. “Never wanted to pry, though.”

“I’m glad none of you did, I wasn’t ready to talk about it all back then,” Weiss replied with a sigh of relief. 

“Still, sticking it to your dad must have felt good,” Yang grinned.

“I barely felt the scar,” Weiss agreed, standing up as Winter approached them, arms behind her back as per.

Yang chanced a look at the statue they were sat beside before the eldest Schnee sibling reached their position. Unlike the memorial statue back at Beacon, this particularly statue was dominated by grimm sculptures only, a monstrous beast with a long tail was by far the largest grimm in the artwork. It wasn’t one she recognised.

“That’s a manticore grimm,” Winter said firmly, as if to read Yang’s mind. “Horrible creatures, local to the mountains out in the tundra of Atlas. Thankfully they’re very rare, few encounters have ever been recorded.” She gestured for the two of them to follow her and the rest of the group.

“Have you ever encountered one?” Weiss asked, fear evident in her eyes.

“Certainly not, I wouldn’t be standing here speaking to you otherwise,” Winter replied with trepidation.

“Maybe that’s why there’s few recorded encounters...” Yang noted sadly.

“Perhaps,” Winter admitted before stopping in front of the two and staring at them with a piercing expression. “If you ever encounter one, do not try to fight it. It’s a battle even the most experienced hunstmen would lose.”

\-------------------------

Blake swung her weapon left and right rapidly, bullets slamming into her sheath as she took a few steps backwards, waiting for the man to reload. She sure hoped Ilia would have the sense to take the opening that would create and wrench the gun away with her coiled weapon.

A few seconds later and the gun had fallen silent, the sound of metal dropping pinged in Blake’s ears again. “Now Ilia, take it!”

Ilia hadn’t needed the instruction, flipping over Blake’s shoulder, weapon in hand and extended the coil so that it shot over the bar in an instant and hooked onto the owner’s gun. Electricity lit up the coil a heartbeat later, forcing the man to drop his weapon as he slumped down out of sight. Ilia tossed it to the opposite corner of the room and turned to Blake.

“Now it’s time to go,” Ilia said. Blake peered over her shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted the four faunus at the bar were completely unharmed, although considerably shook up.

“You all need to leave now!” Blake urged them, knowing the police would surely be here in the next minute given all of the commotion. The faunus patrons looked at each other briefly and then quickly made their way to the door. Blake stood resolute, wanting to make sure everyone was out before they left.

“Thank you so much,” one of them whispered to Ilia as they passed.

Ilia nodded curtly before making her way to the door. Blake did one last check, making sure there was no one else left inside other than the owner, who was still out cold behind the bar, a scroll was locked into his hand, smoking slightly from being fried by Ilia’s weapon.

_Wait a second..._

Blake didn’t get a chance to warn Ilia before the sound of police sirens filled the air. He’d called the police. He’d probably done it the moment Ilia had marched towards him.

“COME OUTSIDE WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!!!”

Ilia was all ready there, standing just beyond the front door. Blake followed cautiously into the harsh air, her teeth chittering at the sensation as she held her weapon. Ilia hadn’t put hers down either.

They were surrounded, police in every direction, all with their weapons trained on the two faunus. Blake looked behind her, back into the bar, that was the only escape route, but she has no idea where there was another exit inside there, and the police would be on them in seconds. Their aura wouldn’t be able to shield them from all those bullets for long.

“Do as they say,” Ilia said, looking to Blake. “It’ll be okay.”

Blake sighed before reluctantly dropping her weapon to the ground and kicking it forward. Ilia did the same.

“Good choice, animals like you pair need to show a little discipline, otherwise we have plenty of other ways to control you,” one of the officers warned as he gestured to his men to pick up their weapons and load them in a van.

Blake felt her mind leave her body at this absolute mess of a situation. What the hell had they done? They could have compromised the entire mission...everyone would be furious...Yang would-

The feeling of cold steel around her wrists brought Blake crashing back down as she was shoved forward into the police van, glaring at Ilia as she passed. It didn’t take long for Ilia to be tossed in afterwards, landing forcefully on the floor as she gasped in pain. Two armed police climbed in behind her and slammed the door.

“Assholes,” Ilia snarled under her breath as she tried to scramble upright. She managed eventually, after several seconds of struggling.

“Oh sorry, did you want help freak?” one of the officers laughed. “Do some more of that changing skin colour thing and maybe I’ll be nicer.”

“Back off,” Blake hissed.

“Kitty has claws?” the officer laughed. “I’d like to see you use them with those shackles.” This man was horrible, truly, but it was his silent companion that gave Blake more cause for concern. She simply stared at them, wild eyed with a venomous smile.

_Neo…?_

Ilia didn’t say a thing, her eyes closed firmly as the van tore round a street corner. They were travelling at some speed that the interior of van to shake violently. Atlas police were above the law, and it made them reckless.

“What the hell is that?!!” the officer guarding them called suddenly in alarm as the driver slammed the breaks. Blake chanced a glance out the front of the van briefly, catching sight of a massive ball of blinding bright light out of the window.

The van spun at tremendous force as Blake felt her head slam against a steel wall.

Then blackness.

There was no way of telling how much time had passed when Blake finally came too in a daze, her shackles had broken on impact, though her wrists ached furiously from how they’d been wrenched in the crash.

One of the doors of the back of the van was hanging off, a blizzard brewing outside was visible through the gap. A strong pair of arms pulled Blake upwards from the ground and back to her feet.

“Yang…?”

“You really did hit your head hard,” Ilia muttered as she helped Blake outside and into the cold, they had to step over the talkative officer who was lying face down inside the van unconscious. His companion hadn’t been so lucky, lying in a twisted mess outside as a deep red soaked into the snow around her.

The van was completely totalled, looking like it had flipped several times and knocking the other police van that has been in the escort off the road and into a wall. Thankfully this area seemed much quieter than the city centre, with not a civilian to be seen.

A large ball of light still floated in the air, Blake could barely keep her eyes on it such was the lights intensity.

Ilia flicked her hand and the light immediately disappeared.

“What...what was that?” Blake spluttered.

“My semblance,” Ilia replied as she walked over to the other van holding their weapons. “Not one I like to show off often. It’s some cruel joke really, here I am a faunus gifted with the ability to camouflage myself, but the gods decide to gift me a semblance that draws plenty of attention. Hardly a useful tactic on stealth missions.”

All Blake could do was nod at that, still feeling completely disorientated from the crash. Ilia dashed ahead and returned with their weapons a few seconds later.

“Lets find somewhere to get cleaned up and head back to the hotel before more police show.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun with this chapter. A lot. I'm going to probably feature two points of view in chapters more often going forward, as it's just easier it moving the main plot forward. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this one, make sure to leave your thoughts below! It's always appreciated as I've had some negative feedback recently for this fic on my other social media platforms would be nice to hear some positives! 
> 
> Tumblr: yang-smash-trash


	7. The Second Vault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yang and Weiss meet with General Ironwood, who reveals the true extent of problems within Atlas.

Ironwood was pacing around his office as soon as Winter had allowed their group to enter, actually, it looked like he’d been pacing a long while before any of them had arrived. His expression was sour and agitated, unusual for a man who Yang had always perceived as a master at guarding his emotions. He was a military man after all, who had doubtless seen many friends and foe die in his lifetime.

If something had disturbed him…well…this meeting was not going to fly by easily.

“Take a seat,” Ironwood said quietly, gesturing to three chairs at his desk. Yang quickly opted for the seat on the far left, anything but the middle. Weiss clearly had the same idea, shooting across to the far right.

Oscar, who was definitely still in Oscar-mode, looked awkwardly from the formidable General to the chair sat dead centre, and clambered onto it. Yang wondered how long it would be before Ozpin eventually took over the boy’s mind in this conversation. Hijacking, as Yang now referred to it, seemed to be a wordless process now. Oscar never vocalised his consent or his refusal anymore. Perhaps he’d grown exhausted at saying no to Ozpin’s demands.

“Ozpin,” Ironwood sighed, tone exasperated. “I was told of your ability to reincarnate yourself by Professor Goodwitch. Alas, I hadn’t truly believed it was possible. Yet that cane of yours only did ever activate to your touch. Tell me...do you have any choice in who you reincarnate as? To return from the grave as a child...it’s madness.”

Yang listened intently, she hadn’t pried too much into the process herself before, not really wanting to know the gory details. Neither Ozpin or Oscar really spoke about it.

“He didn’t have any say in what happened,” Oscar confirmed with a nod. “Neither did I.” Yang shook her head at that. Oscar seemed to notice, turning to hold her gaze. “Ozpin and I, the reason we were brought together is because our souls are very similar. That’s all there is too it. He’ll never find peace until _we_ defeat Salem. None of us will.” 

“The leader of the grimm?” Ironwood said with wide eyes. “She’s alive?”

“You knew about Salem?” Weiss asked sharply.

“I believed she was dead, Ozpin told me as much. He’d sent some of his best hunstmen on a mission to defeat her, the mission was fatal for one member of the party, but I was told that Salem has perished in the battle. It was this Cinder girl I believed was controlling the grimm now, given the way she seemed to direct them at Beacon.”

“Cinder’s dead,” Yang said quickly. “She died in Haven Academy.”

“Then the powers of the fall maiden will be in someone else’s hands,” Ironwood sighed. “I doubt that individual will be an ally, given the company that Cinder Fall kept.”

“General Ironwood, I charged you with the protection of the relic of creation. Salem tried to take the relic of knowledge, she came very, very close,” Ozpin spoke, having taken over Oscar’s voice. “She will target Atlas soon enough. I too thought she had been defeated, but she had only gone into hiding, rebuilding her former strength.” 

“We’re prepared for any onslaught of grimm outwith the city. Atlas will not be breached by an external force,” Ironwood said firmly. “The relic is also held securely. No harm will come to it, I do not take my duty as its protector lightly.”

Yang could agree with that. The city was heavily militarised to an uncomfortable level. Mistral and Vale didn’t even come close to the advanced technology that seemed to be present on every street corner. Salem would have a much harder time attacking here.

“You have this relic of knowledge?” Winter asked, sounding a little dumbfounded by the whole thing as she tried to piece together the gravity of the situation. “If this object is so important that some leader of the grimm would want to take a hold of it then the last place it should be is in some hotel.”

“A hotel?!!” Ironwood questioned sharply. “That’s where you’re staying? Specialist Schnee, once this meeting is complete please organise some secure transport to bring the rest of Ozpin’s group to the academy. We can protect you all better here.”

Winter nodded curtly, though she looked a little embarrassed.

Weiss and Yang exchanged an unsure glance before looking back to the General.

“Atlas Academy is safer that anywhere else in the city,” Ironwood assured. “We can secure both of the relics here, and keep your friends and family safe for the time being.”

Classes weren’t currently in session so it was likely their new accommodation was going to be the student dormitories. That would be strange.

“We can trust General Ironwood,” Ozpin stated firmly. “I assume the vault hasn’t changed too drastically since than the last time I visited?”

“No, though we have made some improvements after the events at the tournament,” Ironwood replied with a hint of sadness. “If it would make all of your minds feel at ease, I’ll take you down to the vault to see it for yourself.”

“I think that would be best,” Yang agreed.

~~~~~~~~

It was nearly nightfall by the time Ilia and Blake had made it back to the hotel. They’d used the bathroom in a supremely neglected public library to clean themselves up and had made sure to avoid main roads, keeping to back streets and alleyways Ilia seemed to know a little too well.

The occasional sound of police sirens had sent them scuttling into a shadowy corner now and again, but nothing had come of those little scares. They’d gotten away with it somehow, with only a few bruises and scrapes to show for all of that turmoil. Ilia seemed pleased with herself as they approached the entrance to the hotel.

Blake couldn’t revel in her joy. Sure they’d helped a few faunus, but they’d gotten people killed too. The police would be searching and harassing faunus all over that area to try and find the people responsible. That thought did not sit well in Blake’s stomach as she rubbed her arms frantically, trying to keep warm.

“I forgot how quickly it got dark here,” Ilia said as she dashed up the stairs in front of Blake, holding open the heavy door as they entered. “I’ll go fetch you some tea to warm yourself up, plus it’ll help you unwind a little.”

Blake grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her back, making sure she had Ilia’s full attention. “Don’t ever do that again. Not to me. I can’t have you flying off the handle like that if you’re going to help us.”

Ilia nodded before wriggling her arm free and walking away, heading in the direction of their bedrooms rather than the catering area.

Blake sighed deeply as she rubbed her head, still pounding from the crash. She really wanted that tea Ilia had mentioned now that she gave it a little more thought. Unfortunately, before she’d even moved a few steps towards her goal, her ears pricked up sharply, the sound of several vehicle engines growling outside catching her off guard. 

_Police._

Swiftly, she reached up for her weapon and shifted silently towards the main entrance of the hotel lobby.

~~~~

Yang hated elevators. She hated enclosed spaces generally, but elevators warranted a particular kind of hatred. Fighting space was limited, as well as what direction you could go in. Ascend or descend. The idea of standing in a tin box hanging on some wires just wasn’t a comfortable place to be.

“How long has this been under the academy?” Winter asked, unable to hide the irritation in her voice anymore.

“Since this academy was built,” Ironwood confirmed. “It was long before my time as headmaster specialist Schnee.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?” Winter protested.

Ironwood shook his head. “There are only three people in Atlas who know the location of this vault including myself, and only two have access.” Was Opzin one of those two?

“At least he’s telling you now…?” Weiss tried, placing a hand on Winter’s arm. Winter pulled away immediately. The sight of it twisted Yang’s heart painfully.

“Give her some time,” Yang advised softly. “This must...suck for her...” Weiss nodded slowly. 

They all stood in silence for a few more seconds before the elevator stopped firmly. The heavy doors didn’t move at all. Ironwood stepped forward and removed his white glove, revealing the metal limb underneath.

Yang felt herself smile as she watched him move it towards a panel in the door. It was nice to see someone like herself, broken in someways, yet stronger in others. If Ironwood could carry himself with the strength and drive he radiated despite his misfortunes, then maybe she could too, one day.

_I’ll need to properly thank him for this arm._

A series of clicking noises followed as the square panel slid open at the moment of contact with Ironwood’s hand, the sound of mechanisms shifting eventually spread to the doors, which parted to the side with a heavy grinding sound.

“This way,” Ironwood gestured.

Yang audibly gasped as the cavern opened up in front of them. This place was huge, with walls covered in thick metal and automated soldiers standing rigid every few meters. The ceiling seemed to be made from the same crystallised material that covered the walls of the academy, though it was considerably denser down here.

“There are several rooms within the vault,” Ironwood explained. “Down here we develop our most advanced military tech. This where our Paladin was created and completed as well as your friend Penny.”

Yang looked over to Weiss, who was staring ahead, expression unreadable. Their dead friend. How many of their friends would have to die before all of this was over?

_Maybe that’s how Raven felt._

A strange torch like object stood at the very end of the vault, soldiers stood in a tight formation around it, blasters covering every angle. The flame that burned within it was a dazzling blue colour, attached to a beautiful gold torch handle. No...not a torch...a brush of some description. The way the light caught its bristles just gave it a flame like appearance.

“The relic...” Yang. “It’s not behind a door…?”

“It was,” Ironwood stated. “The Winter Maiden is present within my ranks, however, I am not yet ready to reveal her identity to any of you. It will take her some time to adjust to things. She does not as of yet understand the gravity or importance of her powers...she was a recent discovery.”

“Her gift,” Ozpin commented. _Her curse._ “General, I’d very much like to meet her, perhaps I could explain-” 

“That included you Oz,” Ironwood interrupted sharply. “She’s not ready to meet the rest of you, even less ready to hear about Salem and the dark forces that threaten this world.”

“We don’t have time to waste!” Ozpin said abruptly.

“As long as the relics are safe here, and the Winter Maiden is, we do,” Ironwood said. “I refuse to let yet another maiden’s powers to fall into the wrong hands by being rash.”

Ozpin was silent for a few seconds, before turning and walking to another area of the vault. He seemed to be talking to himself. Ironwood watched him with concern before turning to Winter.

“Bring Qrow and the others here with the relic of knowledge,” he commanded firmly.

“Yes sir,” Winter nodded before marching off back to the elevator.

“The mechs at Beacon, they were hijacked right?” Weiss asked in concern as she stared at the automated soldiers.

“They were, we’ve taken those lessons to heart,” Ironwood conceded. “We’re very close to tracking down the individual or individuals who gave Cinder’s group access to our security systems, but the investigation has led us deep into the Atlas Council. There are some political lines it is very sensitive to cross at this moment in time. The lockdown has put much of the city’s infrastructure into disarray, and the council haven’t been able to make any unified decisions on what to do now.”

“That’s disgraceful,” Weiss replied angrily. “They only drag their feet because the impact of such instability doesn’t reach their skyscrapers the way it does for those on the ground.”

“I’m trying my best to convince those on the council on what is best for our people, but in the meantime, my soldiers are doing there best to move supplies and trains into the city around the councils restrictions to try and ease food shortages in poorer districts,” Ironwood explained. “It hasn’t been easy, I’ve lost several trains out in the north on the public rail network.”

“I’ll speak to my father,” Weiss said firmly. “The Schnee Dust Company operates its own rail lines from the mountains into the city and beyond, they operate outwith council control. If we could use those lines to move goods around freely and get food into the city, we could help a lot of people far more quickly than it’ll take for the council to make any changes.”

Yang looked at Weiss with wide eyes. The last place she thought that girl would ever want to go was in front of her father again. By all accounts he sounded like a monster.

“Weiss, that’s crazy talk,” Yang said as she spun to face her. “Your dad won’t exactly welcome you with open arms! Who knows what he’ll do to you after the way you left!!”

“I’m not afraid of him, Yang,” Weiss smiled. “I have no need to be. I’m not alone anymore. I’ve got three swords at my back, ready to defend me in a heartbeat. You three will keep me safe.”

Yang could feel tears at the edge of her eyes at her friends words. She had _so_ much faith in all of them. Even in broken people like her, like Blake.

“We won’t let him touch you ever again,” Yang stated resolutely.

Weiss nodded sincerely before turning back to the General. “Would you be able to arrange a meeting with my father?”

“Perhaps,” Ironwood said, scratching his beard as he spoke. “I’ve known Jaques Schnee for a very long time, he’s stubborn. We’ll need to offer him something valuable.”

“We’re not giving him Weiss,” Yang stated firmly.

“I wasn’t even considering that,” Ironwood replied calmly. “No, there must be something else. Give me some time to think. I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with an offer he can’t refuse.”

~~~~~~~~

“I’m sick of being escorted places,” Ruby muttered from the seat beside Blake. “Winter practically threw all of us in here...”

Blake nodded sympathetically. “She must have her reasons.”

Ilia was completely silent. She didn’t place much value or trust in the various institutions of Atlas, but particularly the police and to a lesser extent the military. Blake was just incredibly relieved that the latter had shown up at the hotel rather than the former. Bringing more unnecessary danger to her friend’s door was the last thing she wanted in this world.

“I guess seeing the Academy will be cool,” Ruby murmured. “Penny told me it was an amazing building both inside and out.”

Blake detected the sadness in Ruby’s tone immediately. It was slight, out of reach for the wrong pair of ears. Ruby was trying her absolute best to hide it, she had no doubt. Still, there was bound to come a breaking point eventually, no matter how much Ruby tried to run away from it.

_Running doesn’t solve anything._

“I’m sure she was right,” Blake smiled.

Ruby stayed silent, looking out the window as the outline of a huge structure started to become visible in the darkness. The academy, she presumed as the car they were in started to slow down. Blake paid the view no mind for now, more concerned with Ruby’s silence.

“Do you miss Penny…?”

“All the time...” Ruby whimpered. “We talked about coming here sometime, during holidays from the academy…it’s strange though...”

“What is?”

The car came to a stop, and Blake stepped out into the cold, feeling fresh snow beneath her feet. She kept her eyes trained on Ruby, who wasn’t really paying attention to anything but her feet, kicking the top layer of the snow a little as she sighed.

“What happened to Penny was terrible, something I never want to see again, but in the end it’s always Pyrrha I feel for...” Ruby admitted, sadness etched across her features. “Penny died in the blink of an eye...but Pyrrha...she died feeling the guilt of what she’d done to Penny, and failing to defeat Cinder. She didn’t deserve that.”

“She didn’t...” Blake agreed, trying to think of some words of comfort. “Emerald, Mercury, Salem, Adam...we’ll stop them. However long it takes.”

Ruby nodded firmly, wiping a stray tear from her eye before taking in the incredible sight in front of her. The crystallised walls of Atlas Academy were lit up with beautiful blue lights that ran along the massive courtyard area. The students here must have hosted some amazing school dances with such a romantic setting.

“We’ve got incoming,” Ilia said suddenly, pointing to a pair of figures approaching from an ornate staircase that led up to the main entrance of the academy.

Weiss waved first, dressed in the uniform of a student of Atlas rather than her usual attire. The sight of it was a strange glimpse into a potentially very different life for Weiss.

“How was your trip here?” Weiss asked, pulling Ruby into a tight hug.

“Great,” Ruby lied, though she hugged Weiss back just as tightly none the less.

Blake was attacked next, as Weiss pulled her firmly. “You look a little bewildered, was everything okay while we were gone?”

“Everything was fine,” Blake lied almost automatically. Guilt twisted her guts again.

“Good,” Weiss smiled sincerely before glancing towards Ilia. “If you don’t stop pouting at me like that I’m going to hug you as well I hope you realise.”

“Empty thre-” Ilia began before being practically tackled by Weiss. Ilia flailed her arms in protest but got no where, eventually surrendering to Weiss’s embrace. 

“Hugging a Schnee, bet you never thought you’d do that?” Blake chuckled. When had Weiss become such an enthusiastic and powerful hugger?

“Quiet you,” Ilia hissed.

“Glad you guys got here safe,” Yang said softly, suddenly in Blake’s field of vision as she pulled out of a hug with her sister. Yang was also dressed in the uniform of Atlas academy. 

It was a jarring image to say the least, a strange visual reminder of simpler, more innocent times back at Beacon. Unfortunately, Yang’s robotic limb poking out from the bottom of her blazer sleeve brought the notion of a peaceful life crashing back to reality. Their time at Beacon was a blip, a perfect dream at times, but it would never have lasted. School dances and slumber parties had been replaced by battlefields and tragedy.

“Somehow,” Blake replied with a small smile, walking to join the rest of the group as they headed for welcome shelter from the biting winds. Darkness had given way to a whole new level of cold.

“Was everything okay back at the hotel?” Yang questioned quietly, violet eyes scrutinising Blake as they walked side by side. Oh how easy it would to get lost in those eyes again, thankfully, the harshness of Yang’s current expression was as strong an anchor to reality as any.

“Everything was fine,” Blake lied, swallowing hard as she felt her cheeks go hot. She had never really been good at lying to Yang, out of all the girls. There were plenty of times she’d thought about telling her the truth about her past back at Beacon before anger had done the job for her.

Yang crossed her arms tightly. “There’s a tear in your jacket.”

Blake looked to Ilia who was talking away to Weiss and Ruby up ahead, even having the audacity to laugh every now again. Blake frowned to the point it was painful, she was lying on Ilia’s behalf more than anything. If the rest of the group knew...well they’d probably throw Ilia out to fend for herself, endangering the mission to the degree she almost had.

“We were sparring...” Blake began before looking back to Yang. She could trust Yang, right? Even after everything...Yang was someone she could always trust, _should_ always trust.

“Sparring?” Yang questioned more firmly this time. “I’ve never known you to be so rattled from a sparring session, Blake.”

Blake motioned with her hand for Yang to come closer. “I’ll tell you everything...but please wait until we’re away from the others. It’s – it’s a delicate matter.”

Yang raised a concerned eyebrow but nodded none the less as they hit the warm air. “Meet me in the library in 20 minutes. You and Weiss are sharing a dorm room.”

“Thank you,” Blake replied gratefully. Sharing a room with Weiss was both a relief and a disappointment, but at least she’d get a good nights sleep.

Well...that really depended on how this talk played out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally wrote the bulk of this on the long ass train to RTX London but hey, a big chapter is a big chapter. I'm realising this fic is going to end up pretty big with everything left to happen, so buckle up for the angst and the cliffhangers I guess? Things only really get crazier from here on out.
> 
> Please make sure to leave comments, reviews etc, I was a little disappointed with the amount of responses to the last chapter in comparison to previous chapters. Thank you!


	8. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake confides in Yang, but honesty may not be enough this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's important to say before this chapter starts to remember that this fic is from character points of view, so filled with their own biases and perspectives. I know that can be frustrating as the audience since you get both sides and can therefore judge better.
> 
> But yeah, keep that in mind and do enjoy this massive chapter! A lot happens. Just sayin.

The familiar scent of books filled Yang’s senses as she spotted Blake enter the library in school uniform, carrying herself with the same agitated manner she had been out in the freezing cold. The room was almost completely silent, save for a few diligent students flicking through pages, those that had remained on campus outwith scheduled classes.

Choosing the library as their meeting point had been no accident on Yang’s part. This was where Blake would be most comfortable, and the soft candle light from the chandeliers made the whole room feel warm and welcoming.

“Hey,” Blake whispered softly as she sat down cautiously.

“Hey,” Yang said, offering a small smile in the hopes Blake would stop acting so on edge. When Blake’s shoulders sat a little less tightly Yang placed her robotic hand on the table surface. “So...”

“So...” Blake echoed, pulling at her blazer sleeve a little. Yang couldn’t glaze over Blake’s obvious discomfort every time she looked at…that.

Yang rubbed between her eyes before continuing. “You said you wanted to explain something...that the details were sensitive.”

“They are,” Blake nodded.

Yang swallowed hard, though she wasn’t sure where those nerves were actually stemming from. Between whatever unpleasant information she was about to hear, or the way that the candle light illuminated Blake’s amber eyes almost perfectly, it was a close contest.

“Then spill,” Yang replied firmly, trying to retain some firmness as she folded her arms, probably not quite tightly enough to be convincing. _When did the tough girl routine ever work with Blake, you moron?_

“First you have to promise you won’t over react,” Blake pleaded quietly.

Yang found herself scowling at that. How dare she? Demanding promises of Yang, promises Yang was never given the opportunity to make with Blake. And over reacting? Did Blake know her at all anymore? She’d grown so much in the past few months, able to confront Raven in the vault of the Spring Maiden with nothing but the cold, hard truth.

“I’ll decide how I react, Belladonna,” Yang retorted sharply. Belladonna, when did she ever refer to Blake by her surname, had she ever? “It’s entirely dependant on what you have to say.”

“Fine,” Blake replied quietly. “Can you at least promise you won’t tell the others? At least not yet…?”

Yang sighed loudly before lowering her arms back down to the table. Blake was doing what she’d asked back on the airship, being honest with her. It was best not to scare her away so abruptly.

“I promise,” Yang said firmly. “Now tell me who or what you’re trying so desperately to protect here?”

“It’s Ilia...” Blake finally admitted.

Yang raised a confused eyebrow. Ilia? She’d seen the way that Ilia looked at Blake sometimes, with a certain lack of self awareness Yang had also been guilty of back at Beacon. Plenty of candid team RWBY photographs on Ruby’s scroll had confirmed that. Was that really what all this cloak and daggers behaviour from Blake was down to? Some girl problems??

“Ilia?” Yang questioned, trying very hard to not sound furious until her suspicions were confirmed.

“Yes. Whilst you and Weiss were meeting with General Ironwood, Ilia and I went out into the city...” Blake admitted, unable to hold Yang’s gaze.

“What?! Why the hell did you guys do that? You were told to stay put in the-”

Blake raised her hand as some of the students around them gave them concerned glances. “-I know, we shouldn’t have went, but Ilia was insistent that we needed to scout out the situation on the ground, and I couldn’t let her go alone.”

“You could have led people back to our location...Salem might already know where we are,” Yang hissed, astounded that Blake had gone along with something so reckless.

“We weren’t tailed,” Blake insisted. “I made sure of that at the very least.” Blake tried to reach for Yang’s arm, failing as Yang sat bolt upright.

“You could have put all of us in danger, you put Ruby in danger,” Yang replied with venom. “And I wasn’t even there to protect her if something bad had happened.”

Guilt was etched across Blake’s face, but she continued none the less. “I never meant to put Ruby in danger, any of you. It’s the last thing I want in this world” She exhaled heavily with a rasp, ears sat flat against her head. “It was stupid, very stupid. Ilia wanted to right some past wrongs against the faunus...I didn’t know that was her intention, otherwise I would have made sure we never left the building.” 

Yang shook her head at that. “If she was really being that stubborn a clean knock on the back of the head would have been a good solution.”

Blake frowned at that, but continued none the less. She went on to explain calamity after calamity, all culminating in being thrown in the back of a police van and then eventually escaping and sneaking back to the hotel.

By the time Blake had finished speaking, Yang could feel the beginnings of her semblance kicking in, the visual side anyway with her eyes burning a violent red. 

“You promised me Blake,” Yang hissed, feeling tears building at the back of her eyes and fighting desperately to hold them back. She wouldn’t give Blake any more of her tears. “You promised me you wouldn’t get involved in faunus affairs for now.” Yang chuckled to herself before standing up. “And you have the _nerve_ to ask promises of me??”

“You don’t understand,” Blake replied, standing to block Yang’s path. “You didn’t see what it was like out there...I’ve never seen such a terrible situation for the faunus in all my days with the White Fang, my people are dying in the cold and nobody is doing anything to help them...”

“I don’t care!” Yang spat, though almost immediately regretted it. That wasn’t what she meant. Not at all. Of course she cared about the faunus. “I just meant that-”

The heartbreak in Blake’s eyes was evident as she stepped aside to let Yang pass. “Just don’t tell them about Ilia...”

Yang nodded at that, unsure of what else to offer as Blake stared down at the floor. All of the students in the library were watching them intently now, eyes locked onto the pair. They were drawing far too much attention to themselves.

Blake marched off in the opposite direct she’d came from with clenched fists, leaving Yang standing awkwardly in the middle of the library alone.

“Hey! You’re from the TV right??” one of the students called, head firmly away from their stack of books.

“No,” Yang said sharply before quickly making her exit.

****

It had been a day since they’d argued in the academy library, and Yang hadn’t felt at all better since, pouring over what Blake had said about the faunus, the situation on the ground. Maybe it was worth a second look...after all Ironwood had talked about food shortages and failures of infrastructure with the lockdown, likely that would hit the faunus the hardest.

She had to see it for herself.

Yang quickly changed out of her workout attire and back into her academy uniform and a thick coat, throwing on some gloves for good measure, drawing attention away from herself anyway she could. Weiss was expecting her back in their room soon.

She grabbed her scroll from the pocket.

_Yang: I’m going to extend my workout tonight, you know me, gotta get those guns poppin. Just head to bed whenever you feel like, don’t wait up!_

_Weiss: Just don’t push yourself too far. Contact me if you need anything._

_Yang: No problem Momma Weiss!_

Weiss, predictably replied with a scowling face emoji, which Yang smiled at briefly before shoving the scroll back into her pocket and sneaking out of one of the fire doors in the gym.

The cold air she was ambushed with on the outside was almost enough for Yang to turn right back around, but she persisted this time, taking the opportunity to check no one was following her. They would have a hard time keeping an eye on her in this blizzard.

****

It took Yang around half and hour to get from the academy and into the city centre by high speed rail, nice to know that the council still prioritised running those lines.

The city centre itself was still bustling with people even at this late hour as Yang stepped off and took in her surroundings properly. Who would have though Atlas would have such a lively night life?

Yang brushed past a few city workers that had clearly had too much to drink as she exited the station. One of the workers made a sly comment as they passed, but Yang hadn’t paid them enough attention to hear it. She was pretty used to people leering and making unwanted comments, but for once she wasn’t going to rise to it. The less attention she drew to herself out here the better.

For a few minutes she stopped and leaned against a stone memorial, trying to use the map on her scroll to get her bearings on the ground. This district wasn’t where she needed to be, the people here weren’t down trodden like the people it sounded like Blake had came across. Their only major inconvenience seemed to be the cold weather.

After a few more minutes fiddling with her scroll and her increasingly numb fingers, Yang decided that the scroll and digital map approach simply wasn’t going to work. Luckily, she had a bit of a talent for hunting down information. Hopefully, loose lips were just as common here as they were back on the streets of Vale.

Eventually, Yang decided on a rather run down bar that had a decent amount of customers. Not too many that she could be overwhelmed should a fight break out, but not so little that she would draw a lot of attention when she entered. This place was just right.

One call of ‘hey sweetheart’, which Yang promptly ignored, was the only thing anybody bothered to say to her before she quickly ordered a drink and took a seat in a quieter section of the bar and a good vantage point to the rest of the room. Now to assess who was most likely to have some useful information relating to the city’s faunus population.

There were a few obvious business types here, in full suit and tie, or at least they pretended to be. Their suits showed signs of wear and tear, and didn’t look to be made from high quality materials. _Failed business types. Try to look the part but don’t actually have the money to back it . All talk._

They were exactly the kind of people Yang would usually target for information, big talkers who enjoyed any attention they got.

A waitress silently placing down Yang’s drink interrupted her train of thought for a few seconds. Nothing too heavy, a bottle of low strength cider, enough to keep up appearances that she was here to drink.

“Thank you,” Yang muttered quietly as she eyed up an individual target to approach.

Two buzzing sounds from her scroll stopped her getting to her feet. A text message from Ruby.

_Ruby: Hey sis, I hope you’re doing okay! Blake came back to the room a little while ago and was really quiet, I know it’s Blake and she’s usually pretty quiet but she seemed kinda upset about something. I hope you guys haven’t fallen out. Weiss and I are always willing to help you guys, so please reach out to us if you need us, okay? Have a good night, I love you xxx_

_Yang: I love you too xxx_

The second message was from an unknown number. That was confusing. Communication in Atlas was only over a small range so it had to be from someone in Atlas. The only people that had her scroll ID here were people she knew.

_Unknown number: Hey I can see you!_

That was...unsettling. Yang surveyed the people around her, very few people even had their scrolls out, and none of them were looking at her.

_Buzz._

Another message.

_Unknown number: Over here! ;)_

Somebody was messing with her. Yang felt her heart beat a little faster and she slowly pulled off the glove on her right hand.

_Yang: Who is this?_

_Unknown number: An old friend! Don’t you recognise me? :(_

_Yang: Where are you?_

This would prove if this person really was in the room with her.

_Unknown number: I’m right here, dumb dumb. Are you not enjoying the drink I brought especially for you?_

Yang hadn’t taken a sip as of yet, but was now surveying the room frantically. Where was the girl who had brought her drink? Quickly, Yang realised she hadn’t the slightest clue what the waitress had looked like as she had been so focused on the men at the other end of the room.

A short girl approached with jet black hair, taking the other seat that was at Yang’s table. She tapped the table surface gently, indicating for Yang to take a seat.

Yang glared at her as she cautiously sat back down, keeping her right arm trained on the waitress as she did so.

“If you came here to threaten me, don’t bother. I’ll knock you on your back in a heartbeat,” Yang warned.

The girl’s mischievous expression suggested she would be very okay with that happening. Yang swallowed hard and clenched her fists. She didn’t want to cause a scene in such a public location but the energy this person radiated felt all kinds of wrong, and all kinds of dangerous.

“Got nothing to say for yourself? What did you do to my drink?” Yang questioned firmly.

The girl answered her question by picking up the bottle herself and taking a swig from it, smiling as she did so. Nothing then. That was at least something.

_Buzz_

_Unknown number: It’s funny that you were talking about knocking me on my back. Last time we met each other I did exactly the same thing to you :P_

Yang felt her heart skip a beat as the girl’s bright green eyes suddenly shifted colors, now a mismatched pink and brown pair. _There’s no way..._

“Neo…?” Yang gasped, moving her chair backwards quickly to create some space between the two. Neo stayed still in her chair, posture still very relaxed. There was no sign of her umbrella blade, though Yang very much doubted she was unarmed. “You...you died in the fall of Beacon. Ruby saw it happen.”

Neo’s eyes flashed with anger at Ruby’s name before she shrugged with a face that translated as‘ _do I look dead?_ ’

“Okay, you’re not dead, fair play,” Yang replied, feeling increasingly confused. Should she call the others for backup? After all, Neo was her enemy, and had been allied with many other individuals who had caused her no end of trauma. “So tell me, where are your friends hiding? Did they follow us from Haven? How did you find me here?”

Neo shook her head and pulled out what Yang presumed was her scroll, though its case was decorated so bombastically that it resembled a dessert more than anything else. 

_Unknown number: So many questions cutie! ;) I’ll try my best to answer them! First of all they aren’t my friends, but some of them did follow you here. I’ve been tracking your scroll for a while, whenever you’ve been in an area with a good connection. Roman gave me access to most of the student’s scrolls at Beacon. I’ve seen some really funny things you guys message each other._

That was a horrific invasion of student privacy, but wasn’t really the important thing to focus on here.

“Why are you telling me any of this?” Yang questioned.

_Unknown number: Lets just say a working relationship between you and I would be to both of our benefits :)_

A working relationship? Yang didn’t like the sound of that for one second, desperate to leave this bar already and make a swift retreat back to the academy. Unfortunately, Neo seemed to have some useful information, and if the short girl had really wanted Yang dead she could have quite easily spiked her drink.

“Tell me who followed us here? And do they know where we’re staying?” Yang asked, trying not to sound desperate.

_Unknown number: Mercury Black, Emerald Sustrai & Adam Taurus. They don’t know you are staying in the academy._

Each of those names sent a death knell through Yang’s heart as she read them, though the latter caused an unbearable sense of dread. Blake had apparently confronted him at the battle of Haven, though Yang had never clocked eyes on him before he’d fled the battlefield.

“Why are you helping us?”

_Unknown number: I’m not doing this to help you. I don’t care if any of you live or die, though if anyone decides to try and take another piece of you, that person better be me._

Yang practically growled at that.

_Unknown number: I’m doing this for Roman. It’s Cinder and her group’s fault that he died. If we’d never have gotten involved, Roman would still be here. We would have avoided this whole mess._

Neo’s anger and sorrow was potent in her body language. Yang hadn’t thought Neo was capable of anything other than bloodlust and cruelty.

“You want to help us to stop Mercury and the others?” Yang would never agree to such an alliance.

_Unknown number: No. I just don’t want to see you lose either. I can’t stop them myself, but your little group of soldiers could. I want you to beat them. Besides, cutie, if you should fail...well... I’d have to direct my desires for revenge elsewhere ;)_

“I won’t let you near my sister as long as there’s still blood in my veins,” Yang vowed resolutely before getting to her feet. “Where are those three hiding?”

Neo shrugged at that. Figures. If she had known where the three of them were holed up she’d probably have cut their throats as they slept already, not here assisting Yang. She had to warn the others.

“I’ve got to go,” Yang muttered as she passed, unsure of what else to say. “Thank you for the help.”

Neo beamed at that before bowing slightly, eyes shifting back to bright green before she moved off back to the bar area again. Yang kept an eye on her before exiting, and still remained vigilant as she began her walk back to the rail station.

_Yang: Weiss, I really hope you haven’t fallen asleep. We’ve got a big problem. Mercury, Emerald and Adam are in Atlas. I’m heading back to the academy as quickly as I can._

True to form, and much to Yang’s relief, Weiss replied almost instantly.

_Weiss: Are you okay? Where are you? Send me your location and we’ll come to you._

That...that didn’t seem like a good idea, dragging the rest of the team out into the cold night. Weiss would at least know her way around, but a larger group would draw more attention. On the other hand, if Cinder’s goons really were here, there was no way she could take them on alone.

“Damn it,” Yang cursed before sending a read of her location to Weiss.

Wait...the map of her location didn’t make sense. The shops and streets marked on her scroll didn’t fit at all with the place she was standing. This looked more like a tightly packed residential area with very poor lighting.

She checked the image she’d sent again to Weiss, and it was just as confusing as before. Had her scroll really messed up her current location so bad? Was the poor weather causing interference?

No. This didn’t sit well with her at all. Yang tried to steady her breathing, refusing to let her building panic take hold just yet. She grabbed her trembling left arm to steady it and activated ember celica, taking a defensive stance in the snow.

Where had all the people gone? The noise of the city? The humming of cars? Even the skyscrapers weren’t visible from here such was the density of the run down buildings around her. _Keep it together...you definitely didn’t come through here._

A crunch on the snow just behind her made Yang spin around, just in time to block a blast from Mercury’s boots with her metal arm. He landed effortlessly a few feet in front of her.

“Comes in handy, doesn’t it?” he teased cruelly before dashing at her again. Yang blocked and deflected his attacks just as quickly, making far more use of her legs to counter whenever an opening presented itself.

Had Neo been an informant after all? How had she been so naive as to trust that psycho for anything?!!

Yang’s frustration caused her to put extra force behind her punches as she tried to bring Mercury down into the snow. She over committed to one particular swing that left her no time dodge as Mercury brought his boot slamming into the side of her skull and sent her crashing into the snow a few meters away.

Despite how dizzy she felt, Yang staggered to her feet. She could feel the beginnings of her semblance kicking in again from the damage she’d received, but it had been so long since she’d activated it properly, not since her fight with Adam. She wasn’t really sure she still could.

Mercury didn’t give her another second to recover, coming at her with a barrage of blows that Yang struggled to deflect. At one point, Yang gave up on trying to block any of his kicks at all, instead focusing on trying to grab one of his legs so that she pull him down and keep him there.

She took a few more blows for that, one that was particularly nasty to the ribs which knocked the air out of her lungs and almost brought her down, but the force behind the kick had left Mercury slightly off balance. Yang took the opportunity, grabbing Mercury’s outstretched leg with her robotic arm and throwing him over her shoulder.

He landed with a painful grunt before trying to scramble upwards, but Yang had already made her move, pinning him down will all her strength.

“Nice to see you again, blondie,” Mercury hissed through clenched teeth as he pushed against her. Yang didn’t move an inch. “Always knew you had a thing for me.”

“Shut your mouth,” Yang retorted, pushing Mercury back down into the snow. “You’re screwed this time. You won’t get away.”

Mercury grinned at that. “Watch me.”

Yang looked at him with wide eyes before feeling something loop itself around her robotic arm. In an instant she was hauled off of Mercury and thrown against a nearby wall. This time, her dizziness didn’t fade quite so quickly as Yang’s vision trembled.

_Semblance. Now would be a really good time to activate._

Nothing, as though it was just out of reach.

“Took your sweet time,” Mercury muttered.

“If you hadn’t been so sloppy I wouldn’t have had to drop the illusion at all,” a familiar voice replied angrily. _Emerald._

Yang swung her right arm forward to blast the pair of them whilst they were talking, but gasped in horror when she realized her arm was gone, completely ripped out so that only a small piece of metal with shredded edges remained.

Emerald had the rest of it wrapped up in the chains of her weapon.

Was this an illusion too?

No...it felt far too real.

Yang staggered backwards into the wall, struggling to keep her breathing in check as pain radiated down the entire right hand side of her body, threatening to overwhelm her at any second.

Blackness flashed erratically at the edge of her field of vision.

“Who the hell are you?” Emerald questioned in the distance. Yang heard her uncoil her weapon and a series of blasts from Mercury’s boots, but her vision was far too hazy to see who or what they were targetting.

~~~~

“Are we close??!!” Blake shouted as she ran, unable to hide the panic in her voice anymore as Weiss led the way, Ruby at her flank.

“Close,” Weiss confirmed as she turned a corner sharply into an alleyway, scroll in hand.

“Ready your weapons,” Ruby commanded now that they were out of view the general public.

Blake tore ahead of Weiss as fast as her legs would carry her, unsheathing her weapon as she did so. She skidded to a stop when they reached a wider section of the alleyway, spotting the shells of bullets partially covered by fresh snow on the ground. Not the red shells of Ember Celica.

“Yang!” Ruby called out suddenly, charging to a crumbling wall where a body was slumped against it.

Weiss looked horrified but managed to keep her voice level. “Check on her, Ilia and I will secure the perimeter.”

Ilia dipped her head over from one of the buildings above. “Nothing interesting up here,” she called down.

“Be doubly sure,” Weiss urged as she began searching the general area.

Blake joined Ruby quickly who was already attending to Yang. She had scratches and bruises, but nothing worse than Blake had seen after a few sparring sessions. It was Yang’s arm that made her blood run cold.

“Who...who would do something so cruel…?” Blake whimpered, fighting against tears as she stared at the ragged piece of metal remaining. Her skin was cold too the touch. A first for Yang, who usually radiated heat.

Mercifully, Blake could see from the steady rise and fall of Yang’s chest that she was still breathing. That was of some comfort.

“I don’t know,” Ruby hissed with gritted teeth as she pulled her shredded red cloak off and used it cover Yang. There was enough fresh snow fall on Yang’s hair to suggest she had been slumped here for at least 10 minutes before they’d arrived.

That might have been the worst part. The thought of Yang alone and in pain.

“We need to get her inside and warm,” Blake said firmly as she wrapped her arms under Yang’s shoulders and tried to pull her upwards. She was too heavy. Luckily, Ruby had the same idea, and she hooked her arms under. Between the two of them, they could support Yang’s weight for a little while.

“There’s no sign of Mercury, Emerald or Adam,” Weiss reported as she rejoined them, she looked equally furious. “Or her arm.”

Ilia clambered down from a nearby rooftop to join them. “Seems to me like something scared them away, otherwise why did they leave Yang here?”

“Good point,” Weiss nodded before pulling her scroll out. “There’s a military barracks not too far from here, I’ll contact Winter to come pick us up from there by airship. The quicker we get Yang inside the better.”

Blake and Ruby nodded as they followed Ilia and Weiss.

What the hell had possessed Yang to come out here alone? It had been dangerous enough for herself and Ilia. Had Weiss known anything about it?

And what kind of person would have taken Yang’s arm after tearing it away off of her, making it completely useless? Deep in Blake’s gut she knew exactly the kind of person that would do something so heinous.

Those were questions that could be answered properly later. Right now they had to get off of the streets.

“Stay with us, sis,” Ruby said with as much warmth as she could muster.

Blake nodded indistinctively at that before joining in herself. “You’re safe now, I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...
> 
> So that was fun. Please do leave your thoughts below. This was one of the big chapters I was waiting to get to, and there are plenty more to come. Also please don't be too harsh on Blake or Yang. They are both very flawed people, but ultimately, when they manage to repair things, are exactly what each other need.
> 
> Pretty gutted that Ilia will not be in the main cast of volume 6, so this fic lets me live out that Ilia coming to Atlas life even more so. RT! Look at the potential with Ilia we missed out on now in Atlas town! 
> 
> Anyway. Excuse my ranting. Would love to hear some comments from y'all.
> 
> Tumblr: yang-smash-trash

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote something after so long! Been in the mood since the finale of volume 5! Cause basically I can't wait till v6.
> 
> Please leave your thoughts and feelings below! It's been so long so I'm probably a bit rusty but I had a lot of fun doing this. Also I've literally never written for Blake or Ilia before, or any rwby characters so I hope I've got them pretty on point.
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr: yangsmashtrash


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